Social media for the good and the bad #woke
Donald Trumps number of Twitter followers has increased by 12 million during the span of the last 6 months. With all the controversy that the 45th President of the United States has caused, one may be surprised that he has such a popularity on one of the leading social media platforms. This in fact proves the power of social media. Whether you are considered a “good guy” or a “bad guy” social media allows anyone to voice their opinion on an international level. What does this mean for people who are classified as demagogues? First off, in a way it is fascinating and almost entertaining to watch how one comment can unfold on social media, attracting different comments and viewpoints on what someone has to say. One simple tweet, Instagram post, or Snapchat story can be shared within seconds. And once that post has been shared, its hard to take it back.
Having platforms like social media allows these demagogues to reach a wider audience.This means their prejudice views can be shown to those who may have never had an opinion on a certain subject. So once these views have reached into the unknown minds, those people will start preaching what they believe is the truth. In a way it is like a ripple effect. As Donald Trump claimed in an article, social media can be used to bypass any media coverage that was thought to be “unfair”, thus this is seen as a strategical way to express your views without the filtering of media reporters. Demagogues in a way have no filter, they don’t understand the concept of what is deemed acceptable in society and what is not. The thing is that people can be easily persuaded through social media, especially when you see the same point occurring multiple times on your timeline. The more you see it, the more you may think the point is true. So although some politically- incorrect viewpoints can be spread, it is possible for reconcilers to use social media to turn around that negative wave.
Social media is an equal playing field, in the sense that anyone can use it the exact same way. The way you post something does not change because of who you are. This allows reconcilers to also reach a larger audience and spread their positive messages. But what are some strategies that can be used to get that message across? Social media acts as a great networking base, allowing you to connect with organizations that have similar beliefs which helps spread good news. News travels at light speed on the internet, for example when Obama addressed to the world the death of Osama Bin Laden, he televised it at around 11:30 pm. By midnight there had already been over half a million tweets talking about the subject, by morning there was an estimated 200 million tweets. By using this example it shows how fast one is able to spread a message they believe in. If they use their platform in the right way it can make a huge impact on the emotions they are able to attract from their readers.
So all in all, say goodbye to newspapers because social media is our new way of obtaining and spreading news. It is also a new powerful way for leaders to persuade the general public. There are limited ways to restrict who is able to use it and what they are able to say. We are living in a time where media consumes a daily part of our lives, and even shapes who we are as people. It sounds basic to say, but we this is a time where people are taking advantage of social media and some pretty disturbing scenarios have happened because of it. So people must use whatever platform they have to make a positive influence because it will take the effort of more than one person to change how a whole nation acts and thinks.
