SET 4: ESSAY- Do Social Media Threaten Democracy?

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IASbaba Admin asked 6 months ago

Hello Friends,

Welcome to Essay Practice of SET 4.

TOPIC- Do Social Media Threaten Democracy?

Introduction:
You can start with an anecdote or current news to give a perspective on the role of
social media in current democratic setup ( or you can do your own innovation to give
it a better start). (All the given points are indicative in nature. You are free to use
your creativity to introduce the topic

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)
“Social media has always been a double-edged sword,”- You can use this
somewhere in the Essay and explain how?

In the Roman mythology, Janus is known as the god of beginning and transition,
peace and war. It is perhaps an apt metaphor for the Social Media that seems to
have acquired an ubiquitous presence in the modern world. The networked
population of the world has grown from a ‘low million’ in the 1990s to a ‘low billion’ in
the first decade of the 21st century. It is a remarkable pace of adoption of a new
technology by the society at large. From business to politics, common man to
celebrities, activists to government- all of them look at social-media as essential.
There is
almost a scramble to get on to the platform of social media to communicate, reach
out and even to bring about the change that one considers desirable from his
perspective. Indeed, the number of people using social media platform in the world is
growing exponentially and it is transforming the way people relate to each other. The
arena of public sphere is changing fast.
The dynamics of social interaction is changing even faster. But are we seeing
only one face of the Janus named Social Media?
The role of social media in the creation of what is called‘shared awareness’ is
immense. This awareness can be used for political mobilisation as witnessed in 2001
in the impeachment trial of Philippines President Joseph Estrada, One million
signatures Campaign to secure women’s rights in Iran, Jasmine Revolution in Tunisia
or the Arab Spring, movements in India and Bangladesh, elections in India and US
recently etc.
But it has also shown subversive possibilities that might lead to anarchism and
damage to the socio-political fabric of a country. Not long ago, the communal tension
was generated in a number of states of India due to sharing of morphed photographs
on the internet and spreading of rumour through text messages that led to mob
violence and lynching.
The power and democratizing potential of this medium is now being widely
recognized by the governments across the world. Social Media is seen to be a
platform to engage people in the developmental programmes of the government,
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seek feedback, check corruption and empower the people. However, it may not be
quite correct to say that this medium in itself can achieve the goals enumerated
above since its reach is still limited to less than 10 percent of the population. In India,
the number of people actively using Social Media is about 66 million but it is growing
fast with the availability of cheaper broadband connection and internet-enabled
mobile handsets at very low prices. This opens up immense possibilities for
policymakers and public bodies to reach the grassroots for the formulation and
implementation of the programmes of the government. It is indeed enriching and
deepening the democratic ethos of the country.
The concept and phenomenon of Social Media is complex and multi-dimensional. We
can not afford to look away from it when it is getting more and more deeply
embedded in our daily lives. True, it displays the characteristics of the mythical god
Janus which has two contrasting aspects to it. This makes it all the more imperative
to discuss, debate and understand its various aspect.
In Body, Discuss the possible threats and their impact on democracies around
the world. Also, mention the opposite side of the story.( Depends on whatever
tone you want to take in an essay).

Six key ways social media is threatening Democracy

(Indicative)
Exacerbating the polarization of civil society via echo chambers and filter
bubbles
Rapidly spreading mis- and dis-information and amplifying the populist and
illiberal wave across the globe
Creating competing realities driven by their algorithms’ intertwining of popularity
and legitimacy
Being vulnerable to political capture and voter manipulation through enabling
malevolent actors to spread dis-information and covertly influence public
opinion
Capturing unprecedented amounts of data that can be used to manipulate user
behaviour.
Facilitating hate speech, public humiliation, and the targeted marginalization of
disadvantaged or minority voices

Positive ways social media can strengthen democracy

(Indicative)
Healthy debates, constructive criticism and political discussions
Transparent Journalism with cross-checking of facts and figures
Engagement with Government- Citizen’s participation in governance and
political awareness
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 Activism- Rising awareness and fight for democratic rights
Leadership- Direct connect with mass

Social Media, Social Responsibility!

Recent revelations about how Russian agents inserted ads on Facebook, in an
attempt to influence the 2016 election, present a troubling question: Is Facebook bad
for democracy?
Bots, cyber troops

In Turkey, for example, that has led to the targeting of opposition leaders’ social
media accounts so that others can launch a smear campaign.
And recent controversy regarding Indian Leaders using bots for likes on their
official social media accounts.

In other countries, governments create “bots” which amplify some voices to create an
artificial sense of popularity, the researchers said. Some regimes employ “cyber
troops” or private contractors for this purpose.

Censor on Social Media

“Citizens use it to speak truth to power, and authoritarian governments use it to

spread misinformation. And yes, governments are increasing their efforts to censor
the internet, but that’s because they recognize that the internet poses a threat to their
control.”- Example North Korea, China and Iran

Filter bubbles

Inside a filter bubble, individuals basically receive only the kinds of information that
they have either preselected, or, more ominously, that third parties have decided they
want to hear.The problem is that inside a filter bubble, you never receive any news
that you do not agree with. This poses two problems: First, there is never any
independent verification of that news. Individuals who want independent confirmation
will have to actively seek it out.

There are other remedies. The social-media companies should adjust their sites to
make clearer if a post comes from a friend or a trusted source. They could
accompany the sharing of posts with reminders of the harm from misinformation.
Bots are often used to amplify political messages. Twitter could disallow the worst—
or mark them as such. Most powerfully, they could adapt their algorithms to put click
bait lower down the feed. Because these changes cut against a business model
designed to monopolise attention, they may well have to be imposed by law or by a
regulator.
Social media are being abused. But, with a will, society can harness them and revive
that early dream of enlightenment. The stakes for liberal democracy could hardly be
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higher.
In concluding remarks, try to summarize all the points mention above while giving a
definite direction and solutions to use social media in a more positive way.
SUNIL KUMAR JAIN replied 6 months ago
thank you babaji

SADDAM ANSARI replied 3 months ago

yrs effort is extraordinary. yrs intention is vividly clear i. e. to give maximum lucid and
updated and to the point contents to UPSC aspirants to easily get thru. SHUKRIA

5 Answers
Your Answer
4 Vote Up Vote Down
Best Answer

Mintu answered 6 months ago

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 Mintu replied 6 months ago
plz check admin.

Babloo Singh Govindwale replied 6 months ago

Hi Mintu,
My thoughts on that. you can add some example as well like J&K where internet
suspended, west bengal Gorkhaland incident .

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social media is also helpful in marketing product. can also highlight the importance of
technology in modern world, can also compare with history like earlier people used to
send message through pigeon which is time consuming.

AKSHAY KUMAR replied 6 months ago

nice effort but bro its an essay…………….1000 to 1200 words

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@MINTU yup same comment as akshay bhai,,,,,plus admin does not check its peer
review here….yours is a 200 word answer ,,,,,bhai aise aise 10-12 page kaale
karwaate hai upsc waale essay me haahaaa

Mintu replied 6 months ago

Thanks for your comments Akshay,ravinder and babloo .I will try to do better next
time.
Plz tell me when will adminji check my answer.

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@mintu bhai admin nahi karega ,,,

Sreenath Palukurthi replied 6 months ago

@ Mintu
Short and crispy essay.
You had written some good points in this short essay. Keep practicing and improve
your essay length.
All the best : )

Mintu replied 6 months ago

Ok.

[email protected] replied 6 months ago

Effort shows !
Work it up

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0 Vote Up Vote Down

RAVINDER SANGWAN answered 6 months ago

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BHAIYO AUR UNKI BEHNO,,,
MAARIO NAZAR _/\_
Baaki likhne mein hi maza na aaya padhne me bhi nahi aayega,,,,
nonetheless ,,,thank you to any body who took time to review _/\_ aapka bhavishaya
dan bilzerian jinta ujjwal ho

[email protected] replied 6 months ago

Hey bro, you have written certain good points.There are few grammatical errors and
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rest I think you should avoid mentioning BJP troll army and all, or Russia
interference..instead you can say that Social media been used recently as a vital tool
on elections in the US and India, Political parties in India are influencing public
opinions through Social media and rest other points from IASBaba.

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@ email protected ,,,,thank you bhai,,,,totally agree should not have named any party
directly,,,,thanks for taking time out. and cool name ;p

Babloo Singh Govindwale replied 6 months ago

Sangwan Bhai, nicely covered all the points, spelling mistake are there like Trump
written as Trum. its look like you written this in hurry, i observed, please pardon me if i
am wrong. thank you, All the Best Jai Ho, Jai Hind.

Sreenath Palukurthi replied 6 months ago

@Ravinder Sangwan
You have picked good points related to international examples. Nice word
terminology used in all over the essay.
Your page number eleven(11) was excellent among all.
But there are some repeated lines here and there with different word framing.Keep a
check on it.
Your essay helped in making me better too.
Overall a good essay my friend.
Keep writing : )

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@sreenath thanks for you kind review,,,will take care next time,,,,thanks for taking
time out ,,,,,

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@babloo,,,,,are nahi mere bhai ,,,totally agree,,,ye saari aadat smartphone aur
whatsapp pe chat karte kharab ho gayi hai hahaaaa thank you for your time

[email protected] replied 6 months ago

Its succinct and sound.
Beginning and examples picked up are worth it

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And if you could help me a bit with uploading photos ?

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@email protected ,,, brother there is a “i” button as last option in reply box above on
this page,,,use that for uploading

M V Abhilash replied 5 months ago

Mr.Ravinder the way you took a balanced and positive stand is commendable.But i
felt categorization of points could add value as that will make arguments clear…
nevertheless god effort….keep going…

0 Vote Up Vote Down

Sreenath Palukurthi answered 6 months ago

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 Sreenath Palukurthi replied 6 months ago
Hello,EVERY ONE : )
Read it in your free time and review it.
Feel free to point out and comment.

RAVINDER SANGWAN replied 6 months ago

@sreenath ,,,, bhai superfast mode mein padha hai to may be wrong,,,,,

essay felt about pro con and worries about social media….in my view question
demanded it from lens of democracy which you have not mentioned much….to
slightly bent from demand of question,,,,

nonetheless main kaunsa expert hun hahaaa good attempt keep writing,,,,if time
permits review mine

Sreenath Palukurthi replied 6 months ago

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Hello,EVERY ONE : )
Read it in your free time and review it.
Feel free to point out and comment.

Sreenath Palukurthi replied 6 months ago

@ Ravinder Sangwan
As it had a question mark in the essay statement itself.With yes or no to that question
mark!!
I thought of writing with no threats(80%)~threats(20%). I thought of seeing it through
social media being a actor in good governance.And wrote it this way.
I missed some balance over democracy side as you pointed out.Will look into
balancing of essay in the upcoming one’s.
Thank you for the time and review : )

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Ankita Choudhury answered 6 months ago

Thank you babaji

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Chandrasekhar Das answered 5 months ago

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