Social Media as a Platform

 

 

 

·         How have people used social media to win the hearts and minds of people?

The scope and social impact of social media has created a new informational construct that provides the cognitive, effective, personal integrative, social integrative, and tension free needs of many users. With this platform influencers and groups often effectively use rhetoric to persuade audiences or share information. Influencers and groups can additionally act as gatekeepers of information, which may result in reinforcing bias in the audience. However, the individual audience members own needs and personal interpretive bias may play a large role in the effectiveness of the exposed rhetoric. The easiest example of this phenomenon in motion can be seen in any American high-stakes political race, in which both parties ramp up social media communications in an attempt to motivate support.  

 

·         Give an example of how it’s been used in a positive, or negative way.

          How has social media become a powerful mobilization channel?

         

One of the greatest negatives of social media as a platform is that it has not improved oppositional dialog, but rather intensified it. While there are many theories as to why, the fact remains that this intensification has aided social polarization. Yet, the role of social media in interpersonal communications has a bright side too. As a platform social medias networking capabilities are nearly unmatched. And in that way social media has become a powerful tool for mobilization. Many influencers, groups, and individuals have used social media to carry out humanitarian efforts such as disaster relief or social awareness of ethics violations.