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Social media might change the way we vote, but that day is still far

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In case of Meghalaya, for example, social media could be a factor in urban constituencies as the younger generations are becoming more active users of social media, but not beyond.

Deeply embedded in most of our lives, social media is a powerful tool that has blurred the line between media consumers and producers.

Designed for participation and interaction, social media, in its early years, was seen as liberating, a means to promote a democratic digital culture. But recent trends, involving its use as a political tool, have seen social media play a role inimical to the empowerment of people.

In terms of reach, social media has an evident advantage over the mediums politicians have traditionally used for outreach — newspapers, radio, TV —that is, a greater potential to share ideas and find individuals with similar beliefs.

Though its use among politicians is still limited, a lot of them use the portals to project a certain image and present themselves as ideal leaders, a factor that might influence the more gullible voters.

In a country like India, where social categories such as class, caste and religion play a significant role in who we decide to elect, social media provides a platform for politicians to exploit insecurities and stoke hatred against certain political parties, and thus significantly dictate how votes are cast.

In the recent Meghalaya assembly election, held in February, various memes and posts on Facebook sought to do exactly that, one example being a page called ‘Not my NPP’, which posted memes against the National Peoples Party (NPP; Meghalaya is currently governed by an NPP-led coalition).

Even so, it would be rash and impractical to think that those memes can reach all sections of society, from urban to rural, rich to poor. We have to take into consideration the ‘digital divide’ that exists in our country, and the different ways people absorb and interpret information, before arriving at a conclusion regarding its possible impact on elections.

In case of Meghalaya, for example, social media could be a factor in urban constituencies as the younger generations are becoming more active users of social media, but not beyond.

Now an important battleground for politicians, social media may one day change the way we vote, but not before its use is tailored to suit the social and cultural moorings of the voters.

Alexander Lewis Passah, a student of North-Eastern Hill University, Shillong, is the winner of the opinion-writing contest held with the sixth edition of Democracy Wall. The topic was: Is social media going to change the way we vote?

Democracy Wall is a monthly free-speech campus initiative organised by ThePrint in collaboration with Facebook.

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