www.cmcaindia.org

Social media &

democracy: Boon or

Bane?

DIVYA JACOB

www.cmcaindia.org

“If it were left on me to decide whether we should have a government without

newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a

moment to prefer the latter.” - Thomas Jefferson

www.cmcaindia.org

What makes the Media so important?• Lifeline of a nation• Keeps us informed • Connects people• Wide reach and access• Watchdog of the nation• Creates public opinion

www.cmcaindia.org

Media and Democracy A democracy is a government of the people, for

the people and by the people.

Thus, the public opinion is an important aspect. The people in turn could hold the government accountable and change it, if they knew what is was doing.

So, there is a need to inform the people of things around them so that there is a check on the government.

And media is the one who informs them.

THEINTERNET

www.cmcaindia.org

Benefits of social media in a democracy Not the death of journalism but the birth of a

democratic movement Social cohesion - crosses borders, synchronizes

beliefs and co-ordinate actions Wide spread and reach Empowers revolutionary movements Democratization of media. Relationships and conversation. Creativity and re-mix culture Increase transparency in government and

organizations

www.cmcaindia.org

Some examples Social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube

among others have been the backbone of the protests spanning across the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.

The Egyptian protest took off with the April 6 Youth Movement on Facebook. In Bahrain, True Royal Democracy followed on Facebook, while in Iran, Activist Saeed Valadbaygi maintained a commentary on the protests on the social networking site, called Revolutionary Road by Saeed Valadbaygi.

www.cmcaindia.org

Video clips http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2011/

Social_Medias/Social_media_can_do/EN/index.htm

http://www.nato.int/docu/review/2011/Social_Medias/Dark-Side-Social-Media/EN/

www.cmcaindia.org

Drawbacks Lack of credibility Uncontrollable Can be misused Lots of great content still gets overlooked.

Current lack of good filters creates problems finding the best content

Writers have problems delivering content consistently

Anonymity can engender polarization and hate. Information overload and social networking

overload

www.cmcaindia.org

No. 346, 3rd Cross, 8th 'A' Main, 4th block, Koramangala, Bangalore - 560 034

Ph: 25538584 / 65834322, Email: indiacmca@gmail.comWebsite: www.cmcaindia.org

Thank you for your time!