Social media platforms, such as Instagram, Facebook, X (Twitter) or TikTok, do not always have a positive reputation, as they are often seen as vehicles for spreading disinformation and undermining democratic institutions. Given this negative view, with this article I want to offer a different, more positive view, highlighting potential benefits of modern media on democracy and democratic engagement. Studies show that ordinary citizens generally view social media as having a positive impact on democracy. For example, one study found that in 19 advanced economies that were surveyed, a median of 57% of people said that social media has been a rather good thing for their democracy and only 35% say they perceive it as a bad thing. In Slovakia, a study found that online platforms can be seen as an infrastructure that helps shape people’s political views, through mediated experiences (consuming political news) on one hand and direct experiences (online political participation) on the other hand. Digital technologies can therefore contribute to (positively) shaping and changing concepts like democracy. One of the benefits of social media is that these platforms are often easily accessible for political dialogue. Acquiring and disseminating information, as well as creating and maintaining contact with other people, has sped up significantly since the emergence of social media. This environment lowers the cost of participation in politics, by reducing time, money and effort that is required to access relevant information and news, which in turn leads to more people engaging in politics.
Important here is to highlight the word “engaging”. Because it is active engagement and not just usage that positively connects social media to democratic attitudes and participation. One study found that increased engagement on both Facebook and Instagram, specifically activities like commenting, sharing or adding photos and videos, was significantly related to increased support for democracy as a regime, In Asian societies, research came to the conclusion that the most consistent predictor for greater public voice (meaning, to express views on public issues outside of social media), was sharing public affairs content on social media. And greater public voice in turn, consistently predicted increased civic engagement, which suggests an indirect but powerful link between online sharing and real-world action. Furthermore, there seems to be a strong consensus that social media is highly effective at influencing politics: a median of 77% across 19 countries view it as a good way to raise public awareness about political issues and a majority also see it as an effective tool to get officials to pay attention to issues and influencing policy decisions. Additionally, in the Fiji 2022 national election, the rise of platforms like TikTok created alternative, more causal forms of campaigning, allowing politicians to access more than 70% of registered voters. Not only does social media increase the likelihood for individual civic engagement, but it also opens doors for movements, especially in difficult environments. For example, during the Arab Spring, online networks played a crucial role by shaping political debates and putting a “face” behind the political oppression. In Tunisia and Egypt, major events were often preceded by a spike in online conversations, where platforms like Facebook functioned as a central point of political discontent, helping to spread democratic ideas across international borders. Social media is important for enabling the engagement of marginalized social groups and therefore has the potential to help democratic movements by spreading information and facilitating collective action, no matter the resources a group has “in real life”.
Even though social media has a lot of positive potential for democracy, it is also important to highlight that there can be various negative implications as well. Despite its positive aspects, in 19 surveyed countries, over 80% believed that through social media, it is easier to be manipulated and confronted with false information and rumors and almost two-third believe that it has made people more divided in their political opinions. It is further important to note that the impact of online platforms is not always convincing. Research from Latin America suggests that platforms often only have minimal effects that amplify already existing patterns rather than creating them. Also, in countries with high affective polarization, while social media increased civic engagement (participating and voting), it also decreased overall satisfaction with democracy.
Concluding, we see that social media can have positive impacts on democracy and civic engagement, but its implications are not always black and white. Its consequences depend on various aspects like the political environment in a country and are not always strong. However, we also see how technology, through online platforms, can fundamentally open new doors for participation in the modern democratic landscape.
Photo by Pixelkult via https://pixabay.com/photos/media-social-media-apps-998990/
