Social Media Reshaping Politics

Twitter and Facebook are two of the most famous social media. These social media started to gain popularity in 2006. A little more than 10 years after, Twitter and Facebook gained billions of users around the world. Twitter and Facebook are known to have been created to bring people together and to make sharing of ideas and other resources easier through the Internet. In recent years, however, Twitter and Facebook became more than just means of communication and social interaction. They also have great contributions in other fields of society such as politics.

The increasing influence of social media in politics makes a lot of people think about its effects. Many people believe social media is the main reason why modern-day politics has changed a lot. Social media changed how politicians campaigned during elections, how elected officials communicate with the people they serve, and how people in the world of politics interact with one another.

A common example used by political analysts in explaining the increasing influence of social media in politics is U.S. President Trump. He is known to use Twitter to communicate his ideas, plans, and opinions even before he became president. Many are amazed by how his presence in social media allowed him to create a big impact in the U.S. and the rest of the world.

The use of social media as a low-cost and instantaneous way of reaching a big number of people is dubbed as a digital strategy that works well for politicians. Experts say social media has brought a lot of advantages to politicians as their careers highly depend on the support and recognition of as many people as possible. They add that the use of social media may be a nontraditional way for politicians to communicate with people, but it coincides with how things are going these days. These changes show that politics is not immune to the increasing influence of social media in society.

The role of social media in politics is also said to have very positive results for the people that politicians serve. Social media has made politicians more accountable and accessible to their people. All the content published by politicians on social media can be accessed by these people which allows them to better understand the politicians and their motives and plans.

Considering everything that has been said about social media and politics, many say that social media has shown the public the other side of politics that used to be limited to a chosen few. Social media has made the world of politics more open and interactive.