Social Media as a Marketing Tool for Political Purpose and Its Implications on Political Knowledge, Participation, and Interest (original) (raw)
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Sodh Prabha, 2022
Since the general election of 2014, social media in India has been touted to be a platform that would play a significant role in political communication. Many studies done since have also pointed out that the social media actually influences the people so much so that it might affect their political attitude and their voting behaviour. However at the same time there have been studies those points out that the effect of social media is limited when it comes to political communication especially in India due to the accessibility factor. This research paper is a cross sectional study over a period of 8 years involving two general elections (2014 & 2019) and a legislative assembly election (West Bengal State Assembly elections 2021, as the next general election is scheduled in 2024), and examines whether social media is a platform for political communication/ participation among Indian and does it influence them especially when it comes to their voting behaviour. Results indicate an increase in the utilization of social media for political communication and also shows a pattern as to how and for what purposes it is being utilized. Most importantly suggests the rise in the interest among the youth among the youth and higher participation in politics and political communication since the utilization of social media in 2014.
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The Role of Social Media in Citizen's Political Participation
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Social media is becoming important tool for political participation and engagement. Interaction in social media has a strong influence on the propensity to participate in politics. In this research, we argue that IS is in the right position to improve understanding of social media influence in political communication and participation. In this study, the role of social media for political participation is discussed and the result shows that social media plays great role in terms of replacing traditional media, facilitating political engagement, strengthening strategic collaboration as well as the potential to influence governments decisions in relation with politics. We employed qualitative research methodology and concept analysis technique to transcribe interview that can help to identify and arrange the ideas and views of interviewees. Our study explored how citizens engaged in politics through social media. Thus, the media industry, political consultants, politicians, and citize...
The Internet has revolutionized the way most people live. It has become an integral part of our economic, political, and social lives, altering the way we purchase goods, the way we bank, and the way we communicate with one another. The number of internet users have grown from ten million in 1993 to three billions in 2014. People use online social media regularly to stay connected to their family and friends and pursue interests and hobbies. Advancement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) , evolution of the Internet Web2.0 technology and the innovation of mobile technology have quickly developed social media into an important way to influence society. Social media has changed the way people communicate, it have helped make real the idea of a “global village”. The power of social media to affect society is based on its social aspects which means interaction and participation . Previous studies conducted on social media use presented Social Media as a tool that would motivate and deepen the relationship between citizens and politicians. Other studies have focused attention on the loss of control over information, the lack of citizens’ interest in general politics and the remaining inequalities of Internet access. According to David Phillips who explored the growth of social media sites, success in politics is now highly influenced by the online activities of political institutions, they can exchange views on the latest political developments or hot topics, inviting the public to comment and follow their political programs. David concluded that we have entered an entirely new and exciting era of politics, the internet has totally revolutionized the practice of public relations. Kathy Cohen, who studies youth utilization of social media, pointed out that social media provides expanded opportunities for political engagement for youth and marginalized groups, facilitated through the culture of sharing and participation. She concluded that social media has the potential to facilitate an equitable distribution of political participation among people from different racial and ethnic groups . To shed-light on the power of social media as political tool, this study explored illustrative cases of effective use of Social Media since 2011, for political mobilization, election campaigning, war propaganda and public diplomacy. The research examined the hypotheses that with the advancement in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), evolution of the Internet, innovation in mobile technology and the rapid increase in the number of Internet users, Social Media became an influential and powerful political tool that provides equal opportunities for the rich and the poor. The advancement in Internet Technology and the rapid increase in Internet users have made Social Media an essential, influential and powerful political tool. Social Media participatory and interactive characteristics have made it an essential tool for political and social change. The power of the Internet and its ability to overcome physical, economic, political, social, and individual barriers, have made Social Media an integral part of modern society communication habits. Social Media supports the human need for social interaction and knowledge and information democratization, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. Social Media provided people with alternatives and the freedom to choose. The participatory skills, norms, and networks that are developed through social media to socialize with friends or to engage with people with the same interests can and are being transferred to the political realm. The average individual has risen to the centre of digital content production, sharing his own knowledge, wisdom and personal experiences with his peers Political activists utilized social media tool such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and weblogs as tools for organizing and generating awareness. Social media allows political activist to operate with greater creativity and independence and to go across political borders. Social Media provides individuals the capability to reach a sizable audience and mobilize others through their social networks in an easy and inexpensive manner. Social media applications such as Twitter have provided politicians with the tool to influence, inform, and engage their public while gathering feedback on political issues
Electronic Participation, 2011
Abstract. This paper presents the results of a literature review in regard to Social Media and participation. Besides that, to understand the meaning and impact of Social Media on elections, we show field results from the 2010 and 2011 elections in the Netherlands. There are several challenges when it comes to engaging people in party politics. The current findings in literature show us that previous efforts to shape public participation with prior Internet tools did not meet expectations. With Social Media this could change, because participation seems to be the key concept that explains the difference between ‘old’ web and ‘new’ Social Media. In the Netherlands, Social Media did not significantly influence voting behaviour during the local elections (2010/2011). But, during the national elections (2010), politicians with higher Social Media engagement got relatively more votes within most political parties. In conclusion, we propose a future research agenda to study how political parties could benefit from Social Media to reinvent and improve the way they work with their members and volunteers.
Does social media usage influence youth's interest in politics?
2018
The power and the influence of Internet and the emergence of new media has significantly changed the world together with people’s habits, behavior and communication. Over the years, social media have spread in most aspects of people’s lives, especially among young generations. The role of social media has been investigated in many areas and it has also become very popular in the area of politics. Socially desirable goal is to encourage and increase the level of political participation, especially among young people. Previous research has shown that one of the influential factors for political participation is interest in politics. The purpose of this research was to determine the role of social media in shaping young people’s interest in politics and political issues. The survey was conducted using online questionnaire among young people between the ages of 15 to 29. Results have shown that using Facebook for political discussions has a significant positive influence on young people...
ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA IN ELECTIONS AND POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
IJCIRAS, 2021
Today, Social media is one of the important and effective tools of mass communication. In the 21st century, the advanced communication technology has compacted every aspect of society. Today, we cannot imagine of the world without social media, especially in the field of politics. It plays a crucial role in the active political participation of the people. Free media has since long been recognized as a cornerstone of democracy and plays an important role in influencing political outcome during elections. Social media has rapidly grown as a forum for political activism in its different forms. Social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Youtube provide new ways to 'stimulate citizens' engagement in political life where elections and electoral campaigns have crucial role. In previous years, traditional media played a significant role in creating awareness among people but over a period of time, social media became important marketing tool which not only made the people aware but also helped to attract them. Politicians are becoming more and more active on it. Personal communication via social media brings politicians and parties closer to their electorate. Through social networking sites, political parties and candidates become able to directly communicate with the public and interact with them. In turn, through social networking sites, voters are also provided a platform to share their opinions and to be heard. At the time of 2014 lok sabha election in India, citizens of the country utilized the social media in the best possible manner. The sharing of the communication related to the party manifestos, ongoing political speeches, exchange of videos related to political issues and mudslinging among the politicians may lead to serious discussions in social media. In the elections youth participation creates the awareness about the importance of voting in democracy through Electronic Media.
Social Sciences
Political participation in Pakistan was expected to rise because of the enormous democratic potential of social media; nevertheless, a drop has been observed following an initial increase. This scenario encourages investigation of the decisive factors that might draw disengaged citizens into participatory politics. Therefore, this study illustrates the results of a Pakistani sample (n = 410) regarding the role of social media in influencing political participation in online and offline platforms. Five variables were examined using partial least squares (PLS) to see how they influenced online and offline political participation. The OSOR model of communication mediation was used for this purpose. Its implications were extended by simultaneously incorporating three outcome orientations—political expression, political efficacy, and partisanship—as mediators. In addition, we included political interest as an antecedent orientation and social media use as stimuli. Online and offline poli...