Opinions on the internet and social media tend to oscillate between two ideas. One line of thinking advances the power of technology to better connect people and bring about greater societal change, while the more pessimistic view focuses on how the internet breeds uncivil and hostile behavior.
Recently, we’ve seen a cultural shift that focuses on the harmful effects of internet use and we’ve seen how social media can further contribute to marginalization. As technology has become integral to daily life, many people have grown apprehensive of its inescapability. We’ve now seen how social media and the digital realm have brought about rampant misinformation and been detrimental to people’s mental health. These negative effects of online interaction are especially prevalent within political discussions.
The political landscape has been completely transformed by emerging technologies. American politics feels more polarized than ever, and every issue feels like it has impossibly high stakes. We now have access to more information from more sources than ever before. On top of this, social media offers a unique way to engage with political information that creates a more personal, emotional alignment with political views.
These factors can lead to significant problems including disinformation and declining social cohesion. Given all the negativity associated with social media, the article “The Kids are Online: Teen Social Media Use, Civic Engagement, and Affective Polarization” provided a refreshingly optimistic take. This article concluded that social media could be beneficial in increasing civic engagement among teenagers and providing disadvantaged groups with unprecedented information and ways to get involved in politics.
Family influence used to be one of the strongest predictors of an individual’s political views, but social media has changed this. I’ve experienced this firsthand as the evolution of my political views closely follows my use of social media. Social media allowed me to access diverse perspectives and viewpoints outside of the views of my family and community. I came to change my opinions and political beliefs as I was exposed to a greater array of information online.
Though, I am becoming more cynical and indifferent to politics as I get older. I know this sounds bad, but nowadays I prefer to respond with my head in the sand to political issues. I don’t watch the news, and I don’t stay updated on political information. It would be interesting to explore the factors that led me here. Like the teens in this study, I once volunteered for voter registration drives and participated in online activism and political discussions. Now I don’t even repost political infographics to my Instagram story.
Frequently engaging in political interactions was mentally draining. I felt that being civically engaged allowed many intolerant people to direct personal attacks my way, and ultimately my political action didn’t change much. While social media inspired me to participate in politics, it was also pretty influential in making me step away. I think my personal experience shows the tension between the good, the bad, and the ugly of social media when it comes to politics. The future of politics will rely heavily on the online landscape, but there need to be some serious changes that allow the inspirational effects of online political participation to maintain their momentum.
Emily Petit Emerging Media 