So how exactly does social media play a part in politics? For this blog I will be focusing on Twitter because of the innovation that the developers have brought forth on their platform. When you click the blue bird that everyone knows, you are able to go into a discover mode. This mode brings current events to the publics eye as soon as they happen. You can find information on the newest blockbuster that is soon to be released to the latest gossip between your favorite celebrities. An individual also has access to see what is going on in the executive, legislature, and judicial branch of their government. They also have the ability to even read about foreign affairs going on with other countries as Twitter is accesible around the globe. People are able to gather information about a topic without fear of biased news.
Since Twitter is used by nearly everyone, I can almost guarantee that you will can find your state governor or your local mayor with an account. Even the past couple presidents have Twitter accounts. One might of heard how Donald Trump uses Twitter to reach a large audience. Although, often time he stirs up huge discussion on his post, it is beneficial because it gives people a chance to express how they feel. The public is able to express their concerns through commenting, and are actively taking part in their community. Political officials are able to post about their campaign, giving people a chance to have a voice by retweeting to share with their friends, like to show that they support their platform, or comment and voice what they have to say.
Recently "fake news" have been challenging civic discourse. Since anyone is able to write anything they want people are able to bring up lies and put them out to the public audience. In the past election, this played a more critical part compared to any other election. Shamidh Chakrabarti, Facebook's product manager for civic engagement, said in a blog post that "it [Facebook] allows people to spread misinformation and corrode democracy." I believe that everyone should be aware of the truth so that can be civically engaged in their community, to hold intelligent conversations with others and just to be correctly informed.
Even Pope Francis recently had comments on what fake news does to politics. He argued his point by staying it was similar to when the devil disguised as a snake lured Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. He mention that journalist don't just have the job to report the actual news, he said it was their mission. I agree with Pope Francis, if people are getting paid to inform others of what is going on in the world they should be hold accountable to report that news correctly.
Although social media makes news easily accessible to the population, it also brings some negativity along with it. I don't think there is anyway that "lies" can be filtered out, so I think it is only right if people are educated on how to identify it. I believe even though freedom of speech is protected by the 1st amendment, one should have a moral duty to be honest.
I like how current and timely this issue is with a new debate about "fake news" happening every week it seems like. Social media obviously makes the problem of spreading incorrect facts even worse, since thousands of people may read that fake news and, unknowingly, believe it as the truth. I agree with you that Twitter is a very powerful platform that allows us to see, and even communicate, with powerful and famous people that we would never be able to see in person. Also, one minor design comment: it may be easier on the eyes if you made the text black and the background white. I think that there's a lot more to talk about social media with politics, so I think you'll have plenty to write about.
ReplyDeleteHi Jerry! "Fake news" and twitter has really been prevalent through recent political activities. Although Trump's controversial tweets have shown the extent of social media in politics, it is really just an effect of our society's obsessiveness with technology. I thought your mention of Pope Francis' opinion on "fake news" was riveting. I agree with both of you that news media should be held accountable if their job is to provide real news, not biased opinions. You're right that lies will always be on the internet, but people need to become aware of them and find the truth out for themselves. I'm excited for what is to come from this blog this semester!
ReplyDelete*have
DeleteThanks for this post. The implications of social media in politics is very important. Facebook released a statement a week or two ago about how they are steering their platform away from being a source of news and back to its intended purpose of connecting people with their friends. One of the things I have find most interesting is how leaders of these platforms are wary of admitting that there programs played a role in the 2016 election. I look forward to reading more of your posts.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is definitely a huge part of our society now and influences different things whether we like it or not. News travels a lot faster now as well, a great example is Trump's tweets as you mentioned. I didn't think much about fake news but it is everywhere and it's sometimes hard to decide what is real and what is fake, one curse of social media.
ReplyDeleteHi, Jerry!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed how this blog's topic was so relevant to today's time. I agree with you. Twitter is such a widely used social media platform that almost everyone uses or has some sort of access to. I personally love using Twitter for the jokes or memes, but more importantly, staying up to date with the different news going around me. The fact that Donald Trump, our president, uses Twitter screams how prevalent this social media platform is. People also love how they could stay up to date with the news around them, and I love how you mentioned that people can also use Twitter to express their thoughts or comments.
We have heard a million times over the past year about fake news and media. I really like how you took a bit of a different approach to it and brought in examples such as the Facebook product manager and the Pope. These are definitely not people that are typically talked about when talking about fake news. As you mentioned more and more people are being affected, and becoming more aware of these things due to the expanse and popularity of social media. It is interesting to see how different people view it and how they think it is affecting society. I also like the end of your post about people having a moral responsibility to be honest. I completely agree with that and I think more people should strive to adopt that value as well.
ReplyDeleteThe phrase "Fake News" is probably one of the biggest things I have heard. No one knows what to believe anymore and I have learned to not just trust anyone or anything. I do also agree with the Pope in that journalists' "mission" is to find news, any kind at all and it is not completely accurate, so be it. This disappointing because we live in a world to not know the difference between what is real and what is fake.
ReplyDelete