Social Media And Political Analysis

THE FIFTH ESTATE AND POLITICS:

SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MEDIUM FOR INCREASING POLITICAL PARTICIPATION

Vincit Immanuel Q. Tagoc

Social media is a form of an information and communication technology (ICT) that lets users connect with each other through the Internet. Peters (as cited in Hamilton, 2011) defines social media as a general term for “emerging communications technologies” that is associated to the Internet. The distinguishing factor of social media among other ICTs is that social media uses social networking sites as its primary form of communication thus social networking sites are the platforms of social media. Storck (2011) adds that social media are “websites that ‘interact with the users, while giving them information.” The dual nature

Since social media is now used to invite citizens to protests, mass mobilizations, and other similar activities, there is a clear relationship between social media and political participation. Although there is a clear relationship between social media and political participation, arguments arise on the effectiveness of social media in increasing political participation among the citizens of a society. This study validates the argument that social media increases political participation and contributes to the existing body of knowledge that affirms this idea. Social media has been integrated into political participation in the past decades. Reinick (1998) and Hudock (1998) (as cited in Van de Donk et al., 2004) studied that the Internet

Social media users can express opinions with ease: through brief statements such as Facebook posts and tweets on Twitter, to in-depth video documentaries in Youtube. Castells and Stiegler (as cited in Fenton & Barassi, 2011) argues that political expression now moves on a more personal level, focusing on self-expression. Furthermore, empowerment through social media is not only rooted in the effectiveness and multi-platformed approach but more so in assuring citizens of their security against immediate government intervention while expressing political opinion. In the Tahrir Square incident in Cairo, Egypt, Tufecki and Wilson (2012) states Facebook allowed women activists to voice out their dissent and participate in political mobilizations without the fear of being chased by the government. In addition to this, Fenton and Barassi (2011) states that the digital world is social and collaborative thus creating a safer community with similar interests. An example is an interview of women in Cairo and the Muslim Brotherhood in which they said that Facebook “allowed them to express their opinions and participate in political activity even when they could not attend meetings or when they felt that conditions otherwise discouraged them from speaking up.” (Tufecki & Wilson,