Social Media as a Tool for a Healthy Democracy

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Though the current state of social media and the political climate present some barriers, social media has the potential to be useful in building a healthy, robust form of democracy by fostering information sharing, discussion, and accessibility. For democracy to work, everyone needs to be able to equitably participate in an informed manner. Social media, for the purposes of this essay, is defined as any online forum where information sharing and discussion can be done including but not limited to Instagram, Facebook, and X.  These applications provide an easily accessible place for information to be shared and discussed not only with peers but with groups different from our own and experts on the information in question. There are barriers to overcome like service coverage and financial burden in internet access, and a lack of media literacy among users in equitable usage, but with accessibility and general media skills boosted, social media can become a tool in the healthy democracy tool belt. For social media to be that tool, these barriers need to be addressed; accessibility is first and foremost, because if it’s not accessible to everyone, then it's not an equitable tool. 

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When it comes to accessibility and social media we’re talking about two sides of the same coin: the boundaries that exist for acquiring the use of social media, and the boundaries that are removed by social media for marginalized communities. The former is something to overcome, and the latter is a reason in support of social media as a tool for a healthy democracy. The United States Government Accountability Agency talks about the digital divide being created by both finances and location. In fact, they report that “[n]early a third of Americans who do not have broadband say the reason is that it costs too much,” (U.S Government Accountability Office, para 4) and there is, “a significant gap in broadband access… within urban areas… where high-speed broadband coverage is often more limited in low-income areas, and between U.S. urban and rural populations because of infrastructure limitations.” (U.S Government Accountability Office, para 5). This trend continues in Canada as well; looking at a map of internet coverage from Industry Canada shows that, while much (but still not all) of the country is covered with satellite, most of the country does not have access to service better than that (9) making using the internet, and therefore social media, a frustrating and unreliable tool. The higher levels of internet service are located where there is a higher population, but if not everyone has reliable access, then the tool of social media cannot be used to the best of its ability. Even those with locational access can be at a disadvantage financially, and, with the cost of living rocketing as it is now, fewer and fewer people will be able to afford this service without intervention. It isn’t all bad though, because when access is had there are so many benefits, for not only the average person but, for disabled and otherwise marginalized groups; unfortunately, many of these people fall victim to the aforementioned boundaries as well.

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Social media provides a place of assembly that, if access to service is well addressed, everyone can attend. For people with mobility issues, compromised immune systems, and mental health struggles stopping them from assembling in the offline world, social media provides a new way to collaborate and organize. This is a key part of democracy. Emily Parker said, during a debate on Intelligence Squared, “A world with social media is more democratic than a world without it,” (Social Media Is Good for Democracy: A Debate 6:10 - 6:14) and uses China as an example explaining that before social media there was one voice but now that the population has access to social media they are able to discuss, organize and be heard (Social Media Is Good for Democracy: A Debate). While China isn't a democracy, it can be argued that access to this assembly is more democratic than it would be if the citizens could not. While in North America we have the right to assemble, if our only way to do so is in person we are excluding a large, important demographic of people unable to join or that feel it is unsafe for them to join. With all of these barriers broken down, the people need to learn new skills to be able to safely interact with social media; we need to educate on media literacy.

When using social media we need to be mindful of the information we see as well as how it affects us. Media literacy teaches critical thinking in consuming and creating content in media (including but not limited to social media) to ensure critical analyses of information and conscious choices surrounding your mental health (Wikipedia). The skills acquired through media literacy education “constitute core competencies of citizenship in the digital age [and] have enormous practical value[;]” it allows “people to take social action and truly engage in actual civic activities that improve their communities[;] they need to feel a sense of empowerment that comes from working collaboratively to solve problems,” (Renee Hobbs, viii). An informed and empowered population is a key ingredient to a healthy democracy, but without being able to parse through misinformation and propaganda the citizens lose this power. Learning to ask questions, find multiple sources, and learn what a credible source looks like are key elements of media literacy. One element that is often forgotten is the hygiene aspect. This aspect is knowing when to step away from social media and take a break from the onslaught of constant information. Taking time to process emotional reactions and consider alternative viewpoints is healthy for the individual, and in turn, healthy for the population. Educating everyone about staying safe and healthy in the digital age is an ongoing process, as things change so quickly; this education must continue past primary and secondary school. Part of that early education needs to include the necessity for self-directed, continued education; not necessarily in formal training but in keeping an open and active mind.

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Keeping oneself available to new information leads perfectly to the true “why” for social media being a tool that can be used to foster a healthy democracy. It allows for an easily accessible exchange of information that reaches far beyond where sources reached before the internet and social media existed and were as widespread as they are. People are able to talk amongst not only their peers but see viewpoints from groups different than their own as well as interact with experts and politicians. Social media allows for a deeper understanding of issues and other people. When used with skills learned through media literacy training it allows the people to learn and grow; stagnation is harmful to democracy and society at large. The fast-paced, always-at-your-fingertips nature of social media also allows for quick action and education when the community needs to come together. There’s no more waiting for the update to show up in the morning paper; if something happens at eight o’clock pm then it is likely to be on social media by eight thirty if not earlier! The faster the people know about new information the faster it can be processed. The biggest part of this information sharing though is not the information itself but rather the ability to discuss it. 

With all this connection and information comes the ability to talk to people, and more importantly, people that may have never had a voice before. A much deeper understanding of issues that have existed for a long time such as racism, sexism, and classism is an easier feat with the ability to connect over social media. Being informed on all of these topics makes for a more robust understanding when it comes to voting, which is what all of this comes down to for democracy. An informed vote is a good vote. When people stop to listen to the voices of those most impacted by the issues at hand they can garner a better understanding of those issues. Before social media, it was much easier to stifle the voices of marginalized groups, but social media allows individuals to voice their concerns. Before this it was only those chosen to write for the media; it was journalists and news anchors, but “the Internet has brought diversity to the public square and the public conversation. Going around gatekeepers like [Jeff Jarvis] a [self-proclaimed] old white man gatekeeper, around institutions… And so finally, we have the opportunity,” (Social Media Is Good for Democracy: A Debate 18:50 - 19:03) to get involved and have everyone's voice heard. Within this debate on Intelligence Squared, many movements were brought up including Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and The Women’s March (Social Media Is Good for Democracy: A Debate); it is possible that none of these movements would have happened, or at least not in the same way, without social media. Currently social media is being used to speak out to our governments in protest of supporting the genocide of Palestinians. This assembly of citizens would not look the same if the information couldn’t be shared so far and wide; without social media, it would likely have been hidden from us with propaganda. Social media is allowing us to interact on a global scale so we can take action on a national one. Beyond these socio-political issues and learning from the fellow man, there is also the ability for non-experts to understand issues in more scientific fields by interacting with experts in a more casual way using plain language terms.

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Specialists in biology, physics, medicine, and countless other fields are available to the users of social media. Part of media literacy is learning how to find these experts and using them as a trusted source of information. Many issues that need to be addressed by the government require expert opinion; because politicians are generally not experts in all of those fields, the people should be able to seek that information elsewhere. As citizens, it is important to know which politicians are listening to experts, and which ones are telling the population what they want to hear instead, or which politicians are leaning on faith more than fact. In the end, it is up to the citizens who they want to vote for, but knowing how to tell the difference is important. Thus, having access to information from the experts themselves and being able to discuss these matters with them is a powerful use of social media. Creators like Hank Green, Mama Doctor Jones, Doctor Mike, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and Bill Nye (to name only a few) make it their mission to help the general population understand complex topics. In addition to these, there are also lawyers and political scientists who explain ideas around government that are still too complex for many people to wrap their heads around without the jargon being explained. Having access to experts, rather than only listening to campaign speeches meant to persuade you to simply, “vote for me,” means voting can be a more powerful tool because an informed vote is a good vote. 

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By boosting accessibility and social media literacy, social media can be used as a powerful and robust tool to foster a healthy society and democracy. Even with a few boundaries to overcome, it has proven itself as a tool of information and discussion among a vast group of people, on scales as wide as global, down to organizing within cities and neighbourhoods. As future goals we need to crack down on privacy, security, and government censorship within social media because these problems have become more pervasive, “but it's become more pervasive precisely because authorities recognize social media as a threat to their power,” (Social Media Is Good for Democracy: A Debate 38:47 - 38:55). Authorities should not be seeking to control the population; their job is to serve the people. In the future social media and the internet can be an even stronger tool. Voting applications could be implemented to vote on even small issues giving everyone an even more active place in our democracy. Think about how loud the voices of the people could be with access, information, and discussion. An informed vote is a good vote, and voting is the central pillar of a healthy democracy.

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Works Cited

Industry Canada. "Tracking Broadband Service Coverage and Gaps across Canada." March 2014, https://www.canwisp.ca/Resources/Broadband/SITT-STIT-_383530-v1-Stakeholder_Engagement_Mapping_Deck_PDF.PDF. Accessed Nov 2023.

Renee Hobbs. "Digital and Media Literacy: A Plan of Action." The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program, The Aspen Institute, November 2010, https://www.aspeninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Digital_and_Media_Literacy.pdf. Accessed Nov 2023.

"Social Media Is Good for Democracy: A Debate." Films Media Group, 2018. Films On Demand, https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=103248&xtid=165891. Accessed 30 Nov. 2023.

U.S Government Accountability Office. "Closing the Digital Divide for the Millions of Americans without Broadband." Feb 2023, https://www.gao.gov/blog/closing-digital-divide-millions-americans-without-broadband. Accessed Nov 2023.

Wikipedia. "Media Literacy."https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_literacy. Access Nov 2023.

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