Social Media and Democracy

The Guardian newspaper decided to boycott the social media platform X, for its role in influencing the USA Presidential Elections favouring a certain candidate and the role of its owner, Elon Musk to use its influence to shape political discourse.

About Social Media

• Social Media refers to a type of digital technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas and information among its users through text, audio and visuals formats and engagement through virtual networks and communities.
  • Example: Facebook,  Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, whatsapp, linkedIn are some of the notable social media platforms.
• Decentralised Engagement:  Social media Platforms typically runs on user-generated content that lends itself to engagement via likes, shares, comments, and discussion
• Users: There are more than 5 billion active users of social media roughly equal to  62% of the world’s population.
  • In 2024: 94.7% of users accessed chat and messaging apps and websites, followed closely by social platforms, with 94.3% of users
  • 15-20 Years Age Group: As per UN, 79% of the 15 to 24-year age group access social media platforms 2023, with a child entering the online space  for the first time every half second.

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• Role:
  • Personal Connection: Social media mainly started out as a way for people to interact with friends and family and engage in the social world connecting with like minded people.
  • Source of News: As per the Global Web Index, 46% of internet users worldwide get their news through social media with Gen Z and millennials being the most likely to view news on social sites vs. other generations
  • Business Platform: It has become a key marketing tool for business as companies use it to find and engage with customers, drive sales through advertising and promotion, identify fast-moving consumer trends, provide customer service or support, and collect data on users.
    • Example: In 2022, social media and search advertising spending made up roughly 55% of overall ad spending globally making it the fastest-growing category across advertising channels
  • Engagement: Social Media is basically an engagement platform with entertainers using it to engage with fans, politicians with voters, and charities with donors, governments with citizens etc.

Social Media and its Role in Democracy 

Democracy in its essence implies a form of a political system which enables people’s participation and Media being the 4th Pillar of Democracy, facilitates this participation.

• Social Media in particular since its emergence has changed the way in which people now participate in democracy. As compared to traditional media it possesses a larger reach, is easily accessible, enables mass participation and provides instant updates
  • A survey by Pew Research Center between 2022 and 2023 in 27 countries has resulted in people perceiving social media to be more of a good thing than a bad thing for democracy.

Role In Strengthening Democracy

• Election Campaigning: Social media is extensively being used for political campaigning to recruit supporters and volunteers, seek funds, mobilise voters, share political messages etc in a manner which saves time and resources. Also it enables real time viewing of direct responses to their social media campaigning for instant feedback.
  • Example: A contemporary voter-politician relationship was developed by Barack Obama in the 2008 US Presidential Elections as regular voting reminders were sent on Twitter, and Facebook was used as a platform to interact with people.
• Political Discussions: Social media has taken the power of political messaging from the mass media model and firmly placed it into the peer-to-peer, public dialogue whereby anyone can  freely express his political opinions and expectations without any fear.
• Cyber Governance: The Government functionaries and authorities nowadays maintain a formidable social media presence which has resulted in their greater accessibility to people who now raises their concern directly enabling faster governance.
  • Example:  The late Sushma Swaraj, ex-Minister of External Affairs used Twitter  to resolve the issues faced by Indian citizens trapped abroad rescuing 168 Indians trapped in Iraq by acting on a video that was tweeted to her
• Facilitator of Political Change: The use of social media platforms in organizing protest campaigns and spreading awareness among people about an issue has brought about significant political change across the globe.
  • Example: The student led protest in Bangladesh over the reservation issue has led to the fall of the Sheikh Hasina Government.
• Instrument for Bringing Behavioural Change: Use of social media for bringing in behavioural change amongst people is evident in the success of pan-India campaigns such as Swachh Bharat Abhiyan and the recently-launched Fit India Movement.
• Broadened Civic Engagement: Social media has fostered civic engagement by providing platforms for volunteering, activism, and community organising using social media to coordinate efforts, raise awareness about social issues, and collaborate on initiatives to effect positive change in their communities.
  • Example: 
• Transparency and Accountability: It has increased transparency in government and politics by enabling real-time reporting, live streaming of events, and direct communication between officials and constituents. Elected representatives are held more accountable for their actions and decisions as they are subject to public scrutiny and feedback on social media platforms.
• Empowerment of Marginalised Groups: As Gandhiji said,  ‘I understand democracy as something which gives the weak equal chance as to the strong’. Social media has become a platform which realises his vision by amplifying their voices by advocating for their rights, and challenging systemic injustices.
  • Example: Social Media facilitated discussion about transgender Rights resulting in passing of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019.
• Political Education and Awareness: Platforms like YouTube, podcasts, and online forums provide accessible resources for learning about democracy, civic rights, and electoral systems, empowering individuals to make informed choices as voters.
  • Example: Youtube Channels like that of Dhruv Rathee or online news portals has decentralised and freed the monopoly of a few channels and companies giving people a wider perspective on issues. 

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Role In Undermining Democracy

• Micro-Targeting: It can enable dishonest campaigns to spread toxic discourse about a person  without much consequence tearing their reputation. Democracy then suffers because we don’t get the full picture of what our leaders are promising us
  • Example: The 2016, Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton was subject to such malicious targeting accused of operating a child sex ring out of a pizza parlour’s basement. The rumour quickly morphed into a social media trend ie. #pizzagate 
• Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers: Social media algorithms are often accused of reinforcing users’ existing biases by filtering content based on their preferences, limiting exposure to diverse viewpoints, contributing to the polarisation of public opinion and hindering the exchange of ideas necessary for a healthy democratic discourse.
• As a Tool of Manipulation: Social media has also been used to manipulate the political choices of voters which directly go against individual autonomy as well as privacy enjoyed by the individuals. Misleading content can manipulate public opinion, distort facts, and undermine trust in democratic institutions and processes.
• Spreading Radicalisation: Social media has been used to propagate one’s ideas and opinions. However, this platform has also been used by different organisations to propagate communal, racist and sociological tensions
  • Example: ISIS used platforms like Youtube and facebook to spread propaganda videos to glorify its terrorist agenda and recruit foreign fighters.
• Governmental Propaganda and Overreach: Governments had also used social media to propagate its own narratives against the citizens’ demand by either through propaganda messaging or by censoring public access to information violating the freedom of speech and expression.
  • Examples: Indian Government’s ordering Twitter to block certain tweets and accounts pertaining to farmer’s protests, anti-CAA protests as well as those criticising the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by the government.
• Widening Social Fault Lines: Social media has enabled a style of populist politics, which has seen a rise in hate speech against a particular community and related crimes to thrive in digital spaces that are unregulated.
  • Example: The mob lynching episodes in the garb of cow vigilantism. 
•  Fake News and Disinformation Campaigns: The lack of regulation on social media messaging because of its decentralised nature has led to the rise of fake news with often polarising and divisive content. Such disinformation campaigns have the effect of shifting attention from the necessary issues. 
• Cyberbullying or Trolling: Another dangerous element is the labelling and trolling of more rational voices or those who disagree with the popular narrative as ‘anti-national’ or ‘urban naxal’ etc.
• Privacy Concerns: Social media companies collect vast amounts of personal data from users, raising concerns about privacy, surveillance, and data security. The misuse of user data for political purposes, such as micro-targeting political ads or manipulating voter behaviour, can infringe on individuals’ privacy rights and undermine the integrity of democratic processes
  • Example: Cambridge Analytica involvement in using user data to micro target political ads for Donald Trump.
• Undermining Trust in Institutions: The proliferation of fake news, conspiracy theories, and misinformation on social media can erode public trust in traditional media outlets, government institutions, and democratic processes fostering  disillusionment with the political system.

Way Forward

• Invest in Content Moderation: It is the process of reviewing and removing user-generated content (UGC) that is inappropriate, illegal, or harmful and is a vital part of online safety which can be performed by a human content moderator, automated moderation tools, or both.
  • Example: Facebook did not have a single moderator in Sri Lanka when riots happened there. 
• Transparency: Social media companies should implement measures to increase transparency about their algorithms, content moderation policies, and data practices.
  • Example: In a recent update, Instagram has brought a feature whereby the users can decide their own content to watch.
• Accountability: They should be held accountable for enforcing the safety  policies consistently and effectively by transparent and independent audits of their risk management system and also putting  mechanisms in place for users to report abusive behavior and appeal content moderation decisions.
• Media Literacy Education: Education programs should teach individuals how to evaluate information critically, identify misinformation, and engage in constructive dialogue with others across diverse viewpoints.
• Electoral Integrity: Maintaining electoral integrity by constantly keeping a check on fake news and disinformation campaigns and taking it down is needed. For this to happen a network of citizens, civil society, government and social media platforms is needed.
  • Example:  Election Commission of India (ECI) has today launched a ‘Myth vs Reality Register’ as part of the ongoing General Elections 2024.

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• Access to Data: Researchers should have open access to data of key platforms, in order to scrutinise how platforms work.
• Protecting Human Rights: Governments and social media platforms should respect and protect these rights like right against discrimination and right to privacy while addressing online harms and promoting responsible online behaviour.
• Technological Solutions: Social media platforms should invest in technology and tools such as fact-checking mechanisms, content moderation algorithms, and user-friendly reporting systems. 
• Independent Agencies: Independent public regulators to be set up in each part of the world with clearly defined roles and working in close coordination as part of a wider network, to prevent digital companies from taking advantage of disparities between national regulations.