Question

What do you think about the role of social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat, etc.) in political elections? Explain your views.

Answer 1

The importance of social media can be understood from the fact that almost all of the top political leaders of the world have social media accounts which are generally updated on daily basis. The recent presidential election of the United States saw uproar from the citizens when they came to know that a firm named Cambridge Analytica tried to influence the voters using personal data of the users which was obtained through the Facebook's platform using illegal means.

It would not be wrong to say that today elections are being contested at two place one on the field and other on the social media platforms. Every leader and political party tries to influence and woo voters and social media campaign experts are being hired for this purpose. The younger generation and newly eligible voters play a significant role in the elections and they are easily available on social media platforms.

Social media penetration in our daily lives has changed the manner in which elections are undertaken and how politicians communicate with people. Research indicates that online political advocacy is actively engaged by 68 per cent of social media users.

Social media has enhanced transparency and openness to voters for elected officials and candidates in elections. Most candidates exploit the ability to publish content and have it distributed directly to voters as this happens in real time and at almost no expense. Some of the many advantages that social media offers to the politicians are - direct contact with voters including campaign promotion and the use of big data.

Politicians are trying to capitalize on social media by sharing their opinions, attitudes, and perspectives on certain topics. It can be stated with confidence that in today's world no election can be won by any political party without the help of social media platforms and thus it cannot be avoided.

Social media gave rise to leaders like Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Narendra Modi from India.

A few of the leaders have become champions of the social media campaigns and their expertise brings positive results for them in every elections they face.

To sum up this discussion I would say that social media has completely change the way in which the elections are being contested.