social media and democratization: a new form of democratic transition

Pro f . Dr.Az izu l Ha l im

Yahya

Dean

Faculty of Communication &

Media Studies UiTM,

Malaysia

Social Media and Democratization: A New Form of Democratic Transition

Introducti

on

Introducti

on

social media has provided space

for the audience to exercise

freedom of expression, views

and opinions

Rapid technological development has

created an unprecedented

phenomenon that is social media.

In a borderless world, information is readily available

at the public’s fingertips. Advancement in digital

technology, from web 1.0 to web 2.0 has enabled

people to upload, post, discuss, interact and

comment on social networking sites.

On Average

850

millionActive User per

month

Faceboo

k 175

millionTweet

Everyda

yT h u s i t a p p e a r s t h a t ,

o p i n i o n s a n d g o s s i p

h a v e t h e a b i l i t y t o

s p r e a d w i d e l y, q u i c k l y

a n d w i t h o u t c o n t r o l

t h a n b e f o r e ( D a c a m e t

Transition of Social

Communication

Social networking sites

is said to function in the same manner,

with a distinction in its approach.

T h e s o c i a l m e d i a

e n v i r o n m e n t i s

d e s i g n e d t o

m a x i m i z e

s a t i s f a c t i o n f o r t h e

g e n e r a l p u b l i c ,

w h i l e f a c i l i t a t i n g

t h e i r s o c i a l

i n t e r a c t i o n .


Communication

+


Communication

-

The Role of Social Media

in Democracy

P o t e n t i a l t o c h a n g e t h e

f u n d a m e n t a l c h a r a c t e r o f

s o c i a l l i f e , e i t h e r o n a n

i n t e r p e r s o n a l o r a t a

s o c i e t a l l e v e l ( E l l i s o n e t a l ,

2 0 0 9 ) .

C h a n g e s i n t h e

p a t t e r n s o f

i n t e r a c t i o n a n d

s o c i a l r e l a t i o n s h i p

Information can be

delivered to all of

community speedily, and

this would affect all

segments of society.

Social Moveme

nt

Social media

played a role of

communication

that aids the

revolution by

enabling the

sharing of

resources, values

and a common

strategy for

improving public

support, thereby

putting pressure

on the

governments

(Sabadello, 2011)

Impact of New Media

Democratization

The first social media event that

changed the landscape of social

democracy took place in 1994.

The Zapatista Army of National

Liberation Army (EZLN) in

Chiapas, Mexico wasthe pioneer

in using new media for political

activism, particularly politically

motivated communication to its

supporters in Mexico and

worldwide (Sabadello, 2011).

In the year 2000, social movements in

Serbia have mobilized a large number of

people to question the oppressive political

regime, which directly contributed to the

fall of President Slobodan Milosevic. The

social-network-based movements was

established by a group of university

students in October 1998

In the year 2008, hundreds of

thousands of people marched in

Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, to

protest the continuous violence by

the Revolutionary Armed Forces of

Colombia (FARC). All information

regarding the protest was

transmitted and disseminated via

Facebook (Sabadello, 2011).

Although the term “Arab

Spring” has always been used

to refer to revolution led by

everyday people through

social media, it is in fact a

logical continuation of

strategies employed by

previous political movements.

The implication is in how the

new media is used to

encourage democracy and in

an effective manner (ibid.).

Hence, it is established that

the Internet can directly

impact a democratic system

conventional

political

participation

(voting, donating

to a political

body,

campaigning, etc

non-conventional

political

participation

(marches,

demonstrations,

etc.

Conclusion

the challenge of democratization through social media,

the government should institute a new law or bill that

governs dissemination of information so as to avoid

misperception and malice.

This would mean that new media organizations (online

news agency, information sites, etc.) should uphold

conviction and accountability in ensuring the

dissemination of information

The definition of media literacy should also be extended to

include social media understanding, which teaches the society

not only to accept, but also to be capable of interpreting and

evaluating information from social media.

Thank You