Is New Social Media An Important Political Tool

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Is New Social Media an Important Political Tool?

Social media can make people aware of relevant political information. With the recent

and continuing ICT developments, new social media has become an indispensable part of

people’s life because more and more people use the new social media like Facebook and Twitter

to communicate with others or share their thinking, life, and so on. Even the governments use

social media to talk with their citizens. It is already a foregone conclusion that new social media

plays an important role in human interaction. The question is whether social media is an essential

tool for political development.

Widespread social media availability makes people aware of political news with very

short news cycles. Governmental abuse of power is detected almost immediately. An increasing

number of people think that social media is an effective tool for political communication. Social

media can reach very many people in the world in the sense that minimal input can achieve

maximum exposure. That advantage maintains in the face of the apparent disadvantages of mass

media. For example, there is a chance that social media could be a tool for spreading extremist

ideas among young impressionable individuals. Similarly, there is the propensity of criminal

elements to violate the privacy of vulnerable users of the internet. Even though the position is

controversial, social media continues to take a larger role in political reform in the world, like in

the Arab spring.

The internet has taken over the role of the Fourth Estate and now substantively creates

and sustains trends that expose and combat abuse of governmental authoritarianism. In the

article, “The New Social Media and the Arab Spring” by Dr. Natana J. DeLong-Bas. She stated

that “Pivotal to the revolutions that peacefully overthrew regimes in Tunisia and Egypt and

pressed for change and reform in other countries throughout the region has been the role of the

new social media in translating ideas shared in cyberspace into real-life action on the

ground”(Natana 198). Hence, this means that the new social media plays an important role in

these countries that have reformed. Furthermore, according to the same article, the author talked

about “The internet in particular opened a new communications territory, both in terms of

accessing other peoples’ ideas and in terms of individual expression. Websites quickly came to

be used to generate awareness campaigns of many types, by individuals, organizations,

movements, and even governments.”(Natana 205) For example, in the Arabian Gulf, e-

government has started to streamline otherwise heavily bureaucratic procedures, such as

applying for identification cards and permits, and providing information about how various

services operate (Al-Mushayt, Haq and Perwej 87-98). In other words, many countries use the

new social media to promote reforms and these reforms are good for their government and

citizens. Because of these reasons, the new social media is an important political tool.

Another reason that the new social media is an increasingly essential political tool is

because people can use it to expose governmental abuse of powers. In the same article, DeLong-

Bas talked about an example: “the popular protests that ultimately resulted in the 11 February

2011 overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak attribute their origins to a blog written by an

Egyptian university student named Kamel. Kamel began writing his blog following an incident

in which he fell off a train onto a platform. When policemen approached him, Kamel expected

them to offer assistance. Instead, they beat him”. The incident demonstrated the degree to which

the state had become abusive.

That exposition was the first thing that the set off the chain of events that changed the

Egyptian regime. Social media was a critical tool in mobilization of massive numbers of people

in very short periods of time. Another good example of social media mobilization in political

revolution is Iraq. Facebook was essential in the call for peaceful demonstrations demanding

improved political and economic conditions, higher levels of security, and better government

services, particularly regular access to electricity and clean water (Natana 203). These examples

show that the new social media is an important political tool because people can use it to expose

government abuse. Social media has gained immense traction as a tool of advocacy because of

the proliferation of Smartphone technology. The mobile phone carriers allow internet access, a

fact that exponentially increase internet penetration even in rural areas. Therefore, it is in order

that people would congregate online to talk about social ills and ultimately plan to act decisively

in online forums.

Another aspect of social media that involves Use of musical lyrics like the song lyrics

that directly targeted Ben Ali of Tunisia: “ Mr. president, your people are dying/ people are

eating rubbish/look at what is happening/ Miseries everywhere, Mr. president/ I talk with no fear/

Although I know I will get only trouble/ I see injustice everywhere” and, “We live in

suffering/like dogs/ Half the population is oppressed and living in misery/ President of the

country/ Your people are dead” Hamad Ben Amor, Tunisian internet rap artist.

In my opinion, although new social media has some negative effect, but I still agree that

the new social media is an important political tool because of the following reasons. First, new

social media can be promoted peoples’ communication in the global area. In other words, people

can use new social media such as Facebook on internet to share their information to others. This

is not only means that people can get the information more accurate and reliable, but also means

that people to solve the problems will have more efficiency because new social media can collect

peoples’ idea in order to make the utilitarian choice. Another reason is that new social media can

protect human rights more efficiency. In the article, the author talked about “In Egypt,

harassment of women is rampant, occurring openly and without much criminal recourse because

parliament has failed to enact a law banning it. Women have found their own way to band

together and fight back”. In other words, women have harnessed the new social media to address

social concerns, and protect their rights.

In conclusion, the new social media is an important political tool. It has become obvious

that social media has extended the reach of human interaction. Things that would have typically

passed by unnoticed have suddenly become fixations of entire populations. That is how

governmental abuse of its powers receives so much condemnation. Mass media amplifies the

emotions of people by echoing them throughout cyberspace. Furthermore, it is almost impossible

to muzzle the opinions of people on the internet (short of disabling access to those sites), unlike

in normal societies. The essay identifies that as the reason why the Arab Spring uprisings in the

Middle East. Social media has been demonstrated to be the unstoppable force that the status quo

simply could not handle, because the essence of social media is to allow free speech. It gives the

power to freely associate back to the masses. Natana has noted that it is the reason why social

media is such a strong force for change in the political space of oppressed countries. It will

continue to play an influential role in shaping public opinion across the board

Works Cited

Al-Mushayt, Omar S, Kashiful Haq, and Yusuf Perwej. "Electronic-Government in Saudi

Arabia: A Positive Revolution In The Peninsula." International Transactions in Applied Sciences

1.1 (2009): 87-98. Web. 8 Feb. 2018.

DeLong-Bas, Natana J. “The New Social Media and the Arab Spring”. ed., Maria

Jerskey, Maria. Oxford University Press, 2014. pp 197-208

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