The Power of Social Media
Introduction
In the book “Social Media: Enduring Principles”, Humphreys (2016) explains that for someone to start understanding the influence that social media may have on political life, it helps to start with an understanding of power.
According to Humphreys (2016) power is the ability to impact people or things and it is a cleverly simple term for a complex concept. Social scholars have developed different ways to understand the capabilities of power and its ability to influence social structures such as laws, norms, and values. Humphreys (2016) explains that the sociologist Max Weber (1864–1920) argues that there are three kinds of power which are charismatic power, totalitarian power, and bureaucratic power (Weber, 1978).
These types of powers can be used to understand social media. The charisma (charismatic power) of a politician, public figure or a celebrity may give him or her influence over an extensive group of followers or fans. Totalitarian power is detected more often in states or territories where an individual has control over what is called the means of violence, the military and the legal system for enforcing punishment. This type of power can be seen when in certain countries fabrication and restriction to social media and the internet is created. Bureaucratic power is the ability to persuade people or practices based on regulations or procedures in some organised hierarchy (Humphreys, 2016).
The power of social media
Social media is an approach that holds incredible power to make a change. Its success has been noted on a number of occasions. Be it Facebook, Twitter or any other platform, using social media can push movement and remodel society in fundamental ways. Future leaders as well as the public are well aware of its potential and influence (Mehta, 2020).
According to DSM (2020), one of the main reasons that people choose social media as their primary source of news is its ability to deliver real-time updates, globally. This can be seen with Facebook Live where it provides the ability to share on the spot to a massive audience coverage. Individuals with larger followings, who share news and articles or give their opinions, have a big impact because followers tend to trust the people who they are following on those platforms (DSM, 2020).
If a person follows a certain individual on a social media platform, it is more likely that that person will believe the news or information which is shared by the individual’s account (DSM, 2020). According to DSM (2020), social media platforms are also one tool that companies and influencers can use to show authenticity as well as transparency. This can be seen in the review system on Facebook pages where it assists people with evaluating the credibility of a company.
Mehta (2020) also argues that as nowadays more people are owning a smartphone thus having some kind of social media interactivity, those in leadership positions are certainly not hidden to social media’s vast reach and have, tapped into its power. Nowadays, social media is becoming the platform to use to help build capital, brand and name. Connecting with the public through digital platforms and applying that power to leverage individual standing is critical. As for the general public, the power of social media is certainly very much on-hand (Mehta, 2020).
The power of social media in Politics
In the article “How Social Media Has Changed Politics”, Murse (2019) explains that the use of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube in politics including has dramatically changed the way campaigns are run and how citizens interact with their elected officials.
The popularity of social media in politics has made elected officials and candidates more liable and accessible to voters. As well as the ability to publish content and broadcast it to millions of people at once allows campaigns to carefully manage their candidates’ images based on rich sets of analytics in real-time and at almost no cost (Murse, 2019).
Owen (2020) quoted Tatum (2017) in saying that Trump has bragged that his control over Twitter paved his path to the White House. Furthermore, as a presidential candidate, Trump effectively engaged Twitter to publicise his thoughts, attack his long list of enemies, and hijack political discourse. In the 2016 US election, Trump’s supporters became avid followers of his Twitter messages during the campaign. Trump’s campaign social-media style contrasted with Hillary Clinton’s more controlled approach, which had been the pre-Trump norm. Clinton’s social-media posts were measured in tone, rarely made personal attacks, and provided reasons and facts supporting her issue positions. In contrast, with the use of Twitter Trump made broad, general declarations that lacked evidence and claimed credit for the accomplishments of others (Owen, 2020).
The power of social media in elections
Brichacek (n.d) explains that when it comes to election coverage the first thing journalists do is choosing which candidates to cover and how much. Those choices alone can have a huge effect on voter perceptions. Brichacek (n.d) continued by saying that for the media, this uneven coverage was driven more by economics than political bias. In a competitive 24/7 news cycle, news organisations publish stories that will drive traffic. And, in the 2016 US election thanks to Trump’s pre-existing fame and ability to generate discussions, the published stories were often about Trump (Brichacek, n.d).
Brichacek (n.d) also argues that according to Pew Research Center study, 62 percent of Americans get their news via social media platforms. And that these users might not realize that the news they see on these platforms is heavily filtered.
“What we see on Facebook is dictated by algorithms that decide what you see based on what you like and dislike, what you comment on and click on,” said SOJC Assistant Professor Nicole Dahmen. “Rather than getting a diversity of perspectives that contribute to political discourse, we see an echo chamber.” (Brichacek (n.d).
On the other hand, social media gives users more direct access to those candidates than ever before. As voters may believe they have an intimate relationship with a candidate they will probably never meet (Brichacek (n.d).
References:
Brichacek, A., n.d. Six Ways The Media Influence Elections. [online] School of Journalism and Communication.
Retrieved 26 December 2020, from https://journalism.uoregon.edu/news/six-ways-media-influences-elections
DSM, 2020. What Is The Power Of Social Media? | DSM | Digital School Of Marketing. [online] DSM | Digital School of Marketing. Retrieved 26 December 2020, from https://digitalschoolofmarketing.co.za/blog/what-is-the-power-of-social-media/
Humphreys, A., 2016. Social Media: Enduring Principles. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mehta, 2020. Social Media: Influence, Opportunities And Power | Quantumrun. [online] Quantumrun.com.
Retrieved 26 December 2020, from https://www.quantumrun.com/article/social-media-influence-opportunities-and-power
Murse, 2019. Social Media In Politics — Twitter And Facebook As Campaigns Tools. [online] ThoughtCo. Retrieved 26 December 2020, from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-social-media-has-changed-politics-3367534
Owen, 2020. The Past Decade And Future Of Political Media: The Ascendance Of Social Media. [online] OpenMind. Retrieved 26 December 2020, from https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/articles/the-past-decade-and-future-of-political-media-the-ascendance-of-social-media/
