Politics aren’t just on the news, they’re also deeply integrated into the social media platforms that we scroll on everyday. There are two sides, Democrats, and Republicans. These two sides have very different beliefs which has caused a divide in society. Instead of individuals being cordial with each other regardless of political beliefs, there is a silent feud between the two sides. This is because politics is more than just who you vote for, it shows your morals and what you stand for. Politicians often take advantage of this divide and use it as leverage when it comes time to create campaigns. Social media is a great way for politicians to speak directly to prospective voters because it makes it feel more direct and personal, causing it to sway people a bit more easily than something on the news.
Have you ever stopped to think about how much information you have blindly believed just because you saw it on social media? Most people will answer with more than they’d like to admit. Political candidates don’t need to source the information they share on social media, they can post it purely for the purpose of getting votes and people will often blindly believe whatever aligns with their preexisting beliefs.. When you scroll on your phone, you’re probably not thinking too deeply about each piece of content that you see, but you are still creating your own personal algorithm; with time you eventually become grouped with a specific demographic of people. Political parties thrive off of targeting specific demographics of people because they are more likely to have certain beliefs. For example, Democrats are more likely to support pro choice and gay rights, while republicans are more likely to support pro life and strictly heterosexual marriages. Certain content will reach certain people; this means that we don’t get much exposure to opposing beliefs when scrolling on social media which can be harmful because social media spreads misinformation extremely quickly. For a moment I’d like to focus on confirmation bias.
Confirmation bias is the subconscious tendency to pay more attention to information that aligns with your personal beliefs; this plays a big role in the way social media affects politics. Confirmation bias doesn’t only refer to what you do believe, but also what you don’t believe. Everyday I will see untrue information being spread on instagram with thousands of comments of people who believed it. This creates a ripple effect because people believe things, then they spread it, and those people spread it with more people and so on. If a political candidate has gained a lot of attention, regardless of that person’s reliability, people on social media will believe what they say. This is why the president of the United States, Trump, can post false information all the time without consequences; and unfortunately people will spread the hate that they see Trump share in the media, even if they know deep down it isn’t true.
Overall, social media can be a great place to stay up to date with the ongoings of politics if you choose your sources right, but don’t blindly believe whatever you read. One person hating can quickly turn into a thousand, but one person fighting for what’s right can lead to justice.
By: Valentina Dos Santos
