Mahogany Journal De Social
Vol. 1 No. 3 (2024): Mahogany Journal De Social (MJDS)

The Role of Social Media in Shaping Political Discourse and Public Opinion in the Digital Age

Muhammad, Syabania Hasana (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
25 Sep 2024

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the impact of social media in forming political dialogue, attitude formation, polarization, and activism in political society in the digital era. However, adopting a qualitative research approach this study interviewed participants and analyzed the content of their posts to assess the impact of social media in the political activities and spread of information. The details show that political discussions are enforced by social media, and customers are guided to extremes and hate. In the study, the role of fake news and bais was established in the formation of opinions among the users with many users being unable to distinguish between the genuine news and fake news. The current research also shows that social media has a unique function in both as catalyst for political events and as means of digitized activism which on the other side also leads to low-effort activism or “slacktivism”. As such, this research fills the existing gaps in literature by illustrating a better and more nuanced approach of understanding the both the opportunities and challenges that social media poses in the political sphere- and how it can, at the same time, both empower people’s political participation and also escalate polarization. This paper concludes by proposing the areas and recommendations in relation to studying the functionality of social media for civil discourse and depolarization of society.

Copyrights © 2024






Journal Info

Abbrev

mjds

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Environmental Science Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Social Sciences

Description

Mahogany Journal De Social [e-ISSN: 3048-0329], we are dedicated to facilitating insightful discussions and research within the realm of social sciences. Our journal serves as a platform for scholars, researchers, and practitioners to explore a wide array of topics that contribute to a deeper ...