Introduction:

Social media plays an integral role in our lives today and has a huge bearing on society and individuals. Social media has revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the web. There is a positive effect on business, politics, socialization as well as some negative effects such as cyberbullying, privacy, and fake news. After legislature, executive, Judiciary, Media and Common Man, the sixth pillar of the democracy is touted to be ‘Social Media’. All these pillars have the capacity to change the status-quo and undone wrongdoing.

Body:

Role of social media in influencing political opinions and social attitudes

Given the tremendous growth of social media, in particular Twitter and Facebook, social media are increasingly used in political context recently—both by citizens and political institutions.

News Around the Clock: One of the ways that social media has transformed politics is the sheer speed at which news, poll results and rumors are shared. Whereas in the pre-internet days, people had to wait for the next newspaper or TV news show to get the latest information, online news is a 24/7 phenomenon. While you can access news on many websites at any hour, most people spend more time on sites such as Facebook and Twitter than they do on serious news or political websites.

The Impact of Polls: Political polls are an important part of every campaign. They are often confusing, because you can often find multiple polls with contradictory results posted on the very same day. As with other types of political news, the internet has greatly increased the number of poll results we see each day. Social media has accelerated this even more. Not only do social media sites report the results of polls, you can actually participate in Facebook polls. E.g.: The recent US presidential campaign in 2016 has shown that social media technologies   have   become   increasingly   important   for political   communication   and   persuasion

Direct Interaction with Politicians: One of the positive effects that social media has on politics is the opportunity for voters to interact more easily with candidates and elected officials. Traditionally, if you wanted to meet a politician or candidate, you’d have to attend a live event. Not everyone is able to do this. With modern technology, it’s now possible to attend virtual events where you can participate in live streaming events and interact with politicians and candidates.

Demographics and Targeting: Targeting is used throughout the advertising industry to make sure that ads and messages reach the right audience. Politicians do this as well. In the age of social media, politicians and people running for office are able to target their campaigns. If a candidate wants to address the concerns of women, college students, retired people, Latinos or any other group of voters, they can now tailor their messages. Just as advertisers on Facebook are able to use analytics and targeted advertising, so can candidates and politicians. Thus, if you notice that political messages seem to be talking to you personally, this is no accident.

Rumors, Fake News and Conspiracies: Political campaigns are now influenced by every story, whether true or not, that gets spread around social media. It’s getting more and more difficult to separate actual news from fake news online. Social media makes this distinction especially confusing. The constant stream of memes, links and rumors about political leaders and candidates is a mixture of truth, lies, satire and speculation.

The Power of Confirmation Bias: One of the hidden forces that operates on social media is confirmation bias. This is especially powerful when it comes to controversial topics, including politics. If you’re like most people, the majority of your friends and followers on social media probably share your outlook. This means that the vast majority of tweets, Facebook posts, pins or other content you read on these sites tend to express the same point of view, one that you already hold.

Social Media and the Future of Politics: Because social media is relatively new, we’re just starting to see its impact on society. There are sure to be many political changes that come about due to social media. There are now proposals for internet voting, which could lead to more people participating in elections. This could make social media even more influential, as people could literally vote moments after reading the latest comments or links they found on Facebook or Twitter.

Pros:

• The hashtag activism empowers people to speak up injustice without fear. Some recent examples are #not in my name, #MeToo.
• Social media provide solidarity and sense of companionship to those unable to reach government or raise their voice.
• It has long been observed that when people discuss the news, they’re more likely to be involved in their community, whether by volunteering or reaching out to elected officials. There is growing evidence that this is also true for social media — especially among young people.
• Social media platforms are driving people not just to learn about issues but to take action. For e.g.: During the 2016 US election alone, the voter registration efforts on Facebook led more than 2 million people to register to vote.

Cons:

• Online abuse, hate speech and harassment is perpetuating with anonymity. Policing the content at a global scale is an open research problem since it is hard for machines to understand the cultural nuances of political intimidation.
• The unbridled exercise of power on online platform is out of government regulation.
• It has become a medium to influence youth by the terror outfits
• The spreading of fake news which hampers peace and tranquility of a nation is rapid and complete.
• One of the most common criticisms of social media is that it creates echo chambers where people only see viewpoints they agree with — further driving us apart.
• While foreign meddling, misinformation, echo chambers and hate speech get the headlines, it is also worrisome that how social media can distort policymakers’ perception of public opinion.
• The 2016 US presidential election brought to the fore the risks of foreign meddling, “fake news” and political polarization. The effect of social media on politics has never been so crucial to examine.
• If politicians mistake the views of a few with the views of many, that can make for bad public policy. Vulnerable populations could end up ignored, and fringe groups could appear mainstream.

Conclusion:

The use of social media for political activities influences peoples’ political efficacy, political knowledge, and political participation. Social media must be submitted to the same rules that are established for other media such as clear accountability and transparency. This would probably require new international laws. Moreover, the big companies should continue looking for ways to prevent the abuse of their media.