by Charani LCM Patabendige
Published on Eurasia on 29th May 2024.
Social media and democracy are interlinked matters of grave importance. Democracy according to (the Parliamentary Education Office) is, “rule by the people. The word comes from the ancient Greek words ‘demos’ (the people) and ‘kratos’ (to rule). A democratic country has a system of government where people have the power to participate in decision-making.” Accordingly, through democracy, there are ways to resolve disputes amicably, respect human dignity, and exercise rights of expression. In addition, democracy allows people to demand accountability and transparency from people in power who are elected by them. However, with the advent and expansion of access and usage of social media, democracy is a word often discussed and debated. Further, social media in a democratic society has a direct bearing on national security, since the content and consequences of social media can exert both positive and negative matters towards national security. Therefore, this article attempts to look briefly into types of democracies and showcase the relationship between social media and democracy, the advantages reaped by social media in an age of democracy, threats to democracy, the impact on national security and a way forward in balancing the contradictions arising when using social media in a country of democracy.
There are multiple types of democracy including direct, representative, constitutional, parliamentary and presidential. Explaining, that in direct democracy, there are three distinct types of votes, such as referendums, citizen initiatives and recall which bestow powers on the voters. On the other hand, representative democracy is people electing representatives to make decisions on their behalf rather than getting involved as direct democracy. As cited by, (Anyanwu,2020) from Karvonen, “The concept of constitutional democracy has been defined as a system of government based on popular sovereignty in which a constitution determines the structures, powers and limits of government.” However, it is imperative to mention the fact that not all countries have a written Constitution such an example is Great Britain. In Parliamentary democracy, people elect Members of Parliament who will be the government and will make laws. In presidential democracy, the president is the head of state and government, elected separately from the legislature providing a system of checks and balances.
Needless to say, social media is because we all live in a digitalized world where we can reach many miles with our fingertips. Social media applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn have been platforms for information creation, dissemination and modification. Since social media is widely accessible, people utilize it for entertainment and many other actions such as empowerment and advocacy. In light of this, democracy becomes a crucial matter of discussion. Further, social media is utilized both for positives and negatives in a democracy.
The advantages of social media in a democracy are varied. As mentioned, (Sunstein, 2017), social media “gives more voice to independent journalism and underrepresented and non-mainstream groups”. Social media becomes a platform of discussion, analysis and debate where constructive criticisms will take place. Social media has become a platform that encourages the political involvement and engagement of individuals who would have been apathetic if it were exclusively in print or catering to a particular social class. By such involvement, people will be kept informed as well. In addition, social media acts as a platform where people can raise awareness, demand accountability and act as a whistleblower against corruption and bribery.
As much as social media is used to promote democracy by demanding rights and advocating for them, on the other hand, social media can also be utilized detrimentally. One such example is the impact of algorithms on decision-making. According to (Demo Finland, 2019), “In particular, discussions often focus on the impact of algorithm decision-making systems in amplifying the scope of human action as well as their threats in conjunction with democracy, broadly understood in its deliberative form but also affecting individual and group rights such as privacy, expression, and association.” Such other adverse effects are in the name of democracy, people may engage in false news, disinformation, misinformation and hate speech. The false narratives, manipulations and deviations will become a threat to national security which includes political, economic and physical dimensions. In addition, emerging and novel technologies with the use of deep fakes give rise to the erosion of trust and amplify biases as well. In addition, social media usage can cause ethical concerns if used detrimentally as it jeopardizes privacy and other human security facets.
Due to the mixed consequences and effects of social media countries have opted for various mechanisms to fight the threats posed by social media in a democratic society. For example, some countries utilize different social media applications to prevent data breaches and privacy violations. Governments also utilize laws and regulations to curb social media falsehoods and hate speech content. In addition, tech companies use strategies and good practices to prevent fictitious narratives in social media as well. Furthermore, tech companies use content moderation and human moderators to ensure community guidelines and the accuracy of the content.
However, it is vital to mention the fact that information literacy as well as media literacy is often not given the prominence it deserves. People do not tend to effectively verify sources, facts and news rather they merely believe the news when it is caught in a fad. In addition, certain social media posts use eye-catching phrases to attract attention without giving adequate attention to the reality of the content. This showcases the grim reality behind generating false and exaggerated news and narratives respectively. Therefore, it is crucial to have a strong relationship with the public, tech companies, media as well as government to ensure accurate information over false and exaggerated content. In addition, false content in social media is transnational and without any said limit. Therefore, not only countries in an individual capacity but also collectively should engage in best practices and share lessons learned.
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* Ms. Charani Patabendige is an Acting Research Analyst and a Research Assistant at the Institute of National Security Studies (INSS), the premier think tank on National Security established and functioning under the Ministry of Defence) The opinions expressed are her own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Institute or the Ministry of Defence.