Influence of media over people's opinion

 Influence of media over people's opinion

Introduction on how social media influences public opinion.

After the technological revolution dominated the world and changed our lifestyle and way of exchanging knowledge, social media became the most significant influence on public opinion.

A person’s awareness, personality, and thinking pattern are shaped by what they acquire from the behaviors and information present in their surrounding environment. That environment includes; family, friends, school, places of worship, religious practices, and any other place or means they can interact with others and learn from. That can happen through face-to-face communication or any cultural or artistic forms such as; books, music, or movies.  

With the advent of the internet and social media, they have become a major component of the environment that constitutes and affects human awareness, inclinations, opinions, and even behaviors. It has also become the easiest way to communicate with different people from all over the world, access information from various sources in the easiest and fastest way, and learn the diverse ideologies of different cultures. That is how social media influences public opinion and moves the audience towards the desired behavior.

How does social media influence social movements?

Social movements were always an effective weapon that people used on a national and international level all around the world to restructure the past, reshape the present, and change the future of society.

Through social media, communication among the public sphere has been a lot easier. Also, considering the billions of people browsing the internet and including social media in their lifestyle, those social movements became able to reach larger audiences. That changed the idea behind a public sphere, as it wasn’t exclusive to the citizens of a specific country. Now, social movements can reach everyone through Facebook, Twitter, or any other platform, making social movements an international matter in which everyone can participate.

How social media affects political views.

As we discussed previously, social media has been a significant factor in the up rise of many social movements. It was used as a channel for many brands to launch their own campaigns as a stand on social issues. However, social media was also able to affect the political views which the public adopted. Not only that but also the thought process through which they reach these conclusions.

According to  expert Mike Horning, when false information spreads across social media about the electoral process being unfair, this could impact how the public feels about the entire election process and undermine their belief in democracy. As we have seen ourselves for the past few years, elections around the world have lost their reputation among the public. This is where the role of PR agencies comes, as they are able to translate the situation honestly and positively to the public. 

PR agencies with expertise in the political field can choose the appropriate approach and launch campaigns through social media to educate the public on the electoral process and reach a wider audience.

Examples of social media political movements 

1). Iranian Green Movement

We have stated that the public views on the elections have been affected negatively. The controversy surrounding the Iranian elections led to Iranians’ protests against the highly controversial Iranian presidential elections in 2009. The protests began on the night of 12 June 2009, following the announcement that incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won nearly 63% of the votes, despite reports of irregularities in the electoral process. The protest went viral thanks to the social media app that made sharing news between civilians so much easier.

2). Arab Spring.

Arab Spring is a series of anti-government protests and uprisings as a response to oppressive regimes and a low standard of living. It started with Tunisia and spread across the Arab world, mainly: Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Syria, and Bahrain, all with the help of social media platforms.

3). The Egyptian Revolution of 2011.

“Bread, freedom, and social justice!”

This was the chant that took over Tahrir Square in Egypt. Millions of Egyptian youth decided that on the day of 25 January 2011, they’d leave a mark in the history of social revolutions, a revolution in which Facebook – one of the most influential social media platforms – was its true leader. It was proof that the impact of social media on public opinion is impeccable.

The impact of media coverage on public opinion

As a result of the distrust that the public developed towards the traditional media, the impact it had on public opinion decreased over the years. After the advent of social media, people found a new way to gain information from different sources and reach unbiased facts easily. In addition to that, social media provided people with a two-ways-communication system. Not only are they exposed to different ideas and opinions, but they are also able to express themselves through discussions within their virtual communities and give feedback to the content creators.

What’s the general purpose of how social media influences public opinion?

The objective of using social media as a channel to influence public opinion varies from one situation to another. The article at hand showed many cases in which social media can be used to make a change through the powerful effect it has on people.                                                                                             In some of these cases, the purpose was to change the political situation completely; The Arab Spring and The Egyptian Revolution of 2011 are good examples. In others, just like the case with Airbnb, Nike, and Billie, the purpose of such campaigns was to support persecuted minorities, challenge social norms, and voice the public’s thoughts to gain their approval and support in return.

Conclusion on how social media influences public opinion.

Although social media proved to be a tool of freedom in the hands of its users, it started to show its negatives recently. False information, cyberbullying, and invasion of users’ privacy became the main problems users suffer from on a daily basis. Social media platforms owners are still trying to execute their policies more strictly to prevent those issues from happening.

On the other hand, the traditional media had its impact on public opinion in the past. When social media came along, with all its advantages and possibilities, it replaced the traditional press, proving to have a massive effect on public opinion.