Introduction

Currently, social media bring a great revolution in global world. Social media make it easy for people to participate in governmental affairs and make leaders accountable. People across the world have rapidly turned to Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp. So through these platforms people get information’s about political issues and express their opinion. In short it emerge as a new public platform for discussing various issues.

It is a fundamental truth that social media have a great effect on democracy. So in this article, I am going to discuss that how social media effects on democracy? in this contemporary world. But in this regard we cannot ignore the element of human intent that could be good and bad. That’s why, I have a moral duty to discuss how these technologies effect the society and what can be done to make it more trustworthy as possible. So this part of my article discusses the positive and negative effects of social media on democracy.

How social media effects on democracy?

Positive Effects

1. Democratic Participation

The first benefits of social media are that it provides an opportunity for citizens of political participation. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have access to democratic information and also allowing citizens to engage in political discourse. It encourage the protest of different organization such as seen in Arab Spring movement and climate change protests. These platforms allow the individuals to break traditional media gateways and promoting a public sphere.

2.Create Political Awareness

Social media serves as a powerful tool for political awareness. It provides updates on political events, enables the sharing of educational content, and allows political leaders to communicate directly with the public.  So we can say that social media increase transparency and accountability, as politicians can no longer rely solely on traditional media to shape their public image. The interactive nature of social media also encourages users to engage with political content, participate in debates, and fact-check information, contributing to a more informed electorate.

3. Open Communication

Social media has great power to strengthen the democratic values. It provides a platform for open communication which enhance the civic engagement and ensure transparency. So It also allows for the rapid sharing of latest information. So news about government actions, policies, and events can be spread quickly. Further Political leaders and government officials can communicate with citizens directly. So this direct communication with public can build a trustful environment.

4. Civic Engagement

Social media campaigns also play a positive role to mobilizing the voters to vote and participate in elections. Information about candidates, polling places, voting dates, and candidate platforms can be shared on various platforms. Social media also can bring together the people having different point of views to discuss political issues

5.Ensure Transparency

Through social media individuals can hold leaders accountable on their decisions and actions. Viral posts highlight the corruption and governmental misconduct. As a result, governmental officials also use social media to share information about their political activities and policies.

6.Political Education

It is a big source of educational content about political processes, political history as well as current events. This can help citizens to choose a batter and suitable representatives to run state administration. Social media channels show discussions and debates about political issues which help to develop critical thinking skills among people.

7.Real-Time Updates.

It provides events real-time updates during elections and keep citizens engaged and well informed. So it becomes an efficient platform for political events. Citizen’s immediate feedback for political events creating an interaction between the people and leaders that can influence policy decisions.

8.Create Civic Responsibility

Through participating in various discussions on social media citizens develop a greater sense of responsibility toward their community and country. Moreover, various platforms create a sense of civic involvement and community service. These activities help to build a sense of community and collective responsibility which is necessary for healthy democracy.

9.influence public sentiment.

Social media express that impact on how people feel and think? Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allow people to engage with latest news. People often express their thoughts and read various posts which can shape their views on critical issues. For example, during elections, media can influence how people cast their vote? Social media connects people and provides a platform for sharing information and opinions, which significantly affects public sentiment.

How social media Effects on democracy?

Negative effects

1.Political Harassment

If we want Facebook to be a safe place to express themselves politically then ultimately we need to make sure that no one is bullied or threatened for express their views. Political harassment through social media is a major issue in democratic countries. Where the freedom of expression and the openness of the internet create both type of opportunities. This issue includes harmful behaviors such as cyberbullying, doxing, harassment campaigns, and the spread of disinformation etc.

2.Hateful posts and speeches

In many societies, we observed that government officials write hateful posts and speeches that create a negative impact on society. We kept such posts up on our platform without knowing their authenticity. But our concerns with political hate speech aren’t limited to the online sphere only. we also need to be vigilant that social media doesn’t facilitate offline violence.

4.Low Participation of women

Women represent a majority of the population but unfortunately have very low access to social media in under developing countries. They have also low representation in public political dialogue on Facebook .Here a question arises that why women participate less in political discourse online? So of course we should adopted  new privacy models that help to increase women’s participation not only on social media discussion as well in policy making.

5.Risks of Misinformation and Fake New

Despite its benefits, sometime it also poses significant risks to democracy, particularly through the spread of misinformation and fake news. The speed and reach of social media make it an ideal platform for the dissemination of false information, which can mislead the public and distort political discourse. Algorithms that prioritize engagement often amplify sensationalist and divisive content, creating echo chambers where users are exposed primarily to information that reinforces their existing beliefs. This polarization can undermine democratic deliberation and lead to a fragmented society.

6.False News

Another significant threat by social media is to spread misinformation by anyone. In that case many people believe that Facebook should use its own judgment to filter misinformation. So there may a chance of mistake be regarding authenticity of information. In short we may observe that freedom of speech can also decrease accountability for spreading harmful content on social media.

7.Challenges to Privacy and Data Security

Social media also raises concerns about privacy and data security. Platforms that collect personal data can be used for many political advertising. Actually these targeted ads can increase voter engagement by providing relevant information, they can also be used to manipulate voters by exploiting their personal preferences. So the lack of transparency in data collection and used poses a threat to informed and free decision-making can be considered an essential element of a functioning democracy. Actually it has revolutionized how people communicate and access information, but it also poses several negative impacts as well.

8.Influence of Foreign Interference

Sometime foreign interference also corrupting a democracy by using social media. Foreign governments and organizations can use  media platforms to make influence and uproot the democratic institutions. During the 2016 U.S. presidential election some foreign actors  spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion

Conclusion

In conclusion, we may assume that social media has a great influence on democracy. So the above topic  is an emerging concept which  has a number of positive and negative aspects. On the positive aspect, it enhances political participation, create political awareness, hold officials accountable, and increase civic engagement. However, there are some drawbacks of social media on democracy such as the risks of misinformation, foreign interference, and threats to privacy and data security.

There are so many analysts who considered that social media is one of the major reasons for the  uprooted of democracy in many nations. This balance is essential for ensuring that social media remains a force for good in the democratic landscape. At the end of this article I must be say that in this global era if we want to be a democratic one than we must be connected with social media.