SOCIAL MEDIA AND ITS IMPACT ON POLITICAL RELATIONS

Abstract

The effect on daily life comes with every advance in technology. In fact, this holds true with developments in media technologies. Whereas the press on a day-to-day basis is a prevalent feature of life, a moment when it truly becomes relevant is in terms of politicians and military knowledge. For American citizens, the Internet has become an incredibly valuable method not just to obtain political information, but to partake in the political system itself. Some scholars say that this could "revitalize democratic society, enabling citizens to control the political and economic necessary resources to become effectively self-governing". While it is not the purpose of this analysis to decide if the Internet will ultimately lead to a model of city hall or direct state type of democracy, it is an intriguing concept to say. Instead, the focus will be on whether or not the Internet encourages an expanded participation of people in the democratic process by social media platforms such as Facebook or Myspace.