How Does Social Media Influenced Political Participation?

516 Words3 Pages

Political participation is any activity committed by an individual or group that affects the political sphere. Examples include electoral activities, activism, civic activities, and lifestyle politics (Kahne, Middaugh, and Allen 2015:36). Social media has allowed political participation through the use of memes and hashtags. It has allowed many people to express their political views and raise attention to issues important to them. While digital technologies has enabled political participation, it has also hindered it at the same time. These two things can be seen in the article “Youth, New Media, and the Rise of Participatory Politics” by Joseph Kahne, Ellen Middaugh, and Danielle Allen. This helps shed light on youth political participation and the use of social media in order to do so. New media consists of …show more content…

Digital media has changed political expectations and practices, considering it has reshaped the political life landscape (Kahne et al. 2015:36). Participatory politics, described as “interactive, peer-based acts through which individuals and groups seek to exert both voice and influence on issues of public concern,” contain acts that are at the center of political life (Kahne et al. 2015:41). Individuals are able to engage in this through investigation, dialogue and feedback, circulation, production, and mobilization. Digital technologies have given individuals under the age of eighteen a political voice. Despite not being able to vote, they are able to influence politics through online activities. Memes, such as the one that circulated after the University of California, Davis protest that resulted in students getting