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Public Opinion and Social Media

     Although I tend to have a negative view on social media, there is no doubt the benefit that social media can have on society. When I look Bullet 3, it seems easy to answer about how social media has allowed users to win over the hearts and minds of people. It is easy to get caught up in the negativity that floats around the internet, but it would be remiss if the positives were not pointed out more. For example, the Ice Bucket Challenge raised over $135 million dollars for ALS research. By using social media, awareness was spread for ALS allowing those to donate as well as win people over for the cause.




    Social media has also given those the platform to speak who have either been afraid or unable to voice their opinions before. The #MeToo allowed those to speak out on the sexual harassment they had experienced. While shameful that it took a movement on social media to rectify the acts of those in power, but the #MeToo movement was inspiring in so many ways. Social movements can be ushered through social media and the changes that arise from these movements can be powerful and felt world-wide. 







    On the other hand, there are the negative sides of social media. I think a negative aspect of social media is the now well-spread "fake news" that has become more prevalent in recent years. Regardless of what side of the political spectrum you may fall, everyone can almost certainly agree that they themselves have seen or had a family member post something that is completely false on social media. The best thing about social media, the ease at spreading information and connecting, can also lead to its worse aspect as well. The amount of false information spreading throughout the news cycle is alarming. 



    While it is great again how social media can spread awareness of disease research or raise awareness of social situations, it is important to remember how social media has been used in actual revolutions. The Arab Spring, named so for the many uprisings, anti-government protests, and rebellions that took place in 2011. Due to the ease of spreading information, groups of dissenters were able to communicate through online means. Traditionally speaking, most dictatorships have been able to control the media and thus control the narrative being put forth to the public. With the advent of social media, the governments were not able to stop the means of communication that the so called "rebels" were using now. Julie West and Nahed Eltantawy wrote in International Journal of Communication, about the use of social media during the Egyptian Revolution. The article, called Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution's Reconsidering Resource Mobilization Theory, has a quote in " the speed and interactivity of social media use not only united protesters, but it also provided the means of disseminating important safety information during the revolution and outlet for seeking help when in the danger". (International Journal of Communication 2011) social media was essential as a communication tool for the Egyptians to not only spread information, but like the quote mentioned above, to provide safety. 

    Like traditional media, there are positive and negative aspects to social media. Whether it is the raising awareness of social or the spreading of false information, there is both positive and negative side effects of social media. But the fact that social media has been used and will continue to be used in uprisings and revolutions, will always be the most important use of social media in my opinion. Social media has opened the door for those who live under the control of oppressive governments to communicate and dissents in ways that before were not possible. So, if push came to shove, I think the use of social media, even though social media has been morphed into a way for misinformation to spread, it is more important for the masses to have a means of communication that is not constricted by the government they live under.





Eltantawy, Nahed & Wiest, Julie. (2011). Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering Resource Mobilization Theory. International Journal of Communication. 5. 1207-1224. 




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