1.0 BACKGROUND. This research study explores the attitudes of Kenyan proletariat voters towards social media political activism and to what extent such strategies can be said to be Communitarian expressions of political association or ethnic mobilization devoid of issue-based politics. Communitarianism is a philosophy emphasizing the connection between an individual and the community. A “community” in this context is understood in the wider sense of interactions between communities of people in a geographical location, or who have a shared history or interest. Does such targeted online campaigns prove group Structuration Theory-a concept where human agency and social structure are in a relationship with each other, and it is the repetition of the acts of individual agents which reproduces the social structure-traditions, institutions, moral codes, and established norms and practices; though these can be reversed or changed when people start to ignore them, replace them, or reproduce them differently . 2.0 AIMS AND OBJECTIVE Social media activism is a rampant phenomenon in political mobilization among Kenya’s pretentiously progressive middle-class voters. The practice itself is relatively new, but it has grown tremendously, particularly in the developing world where campaign strategists have leveraged social relations within group members to consolidate party loyalty and cultivate support from interest groups. This study is based on face –to- face interviews and questionnaires responded to by a segment of middle-class Kenyan voters with a view to assess their attitudes towards communal and political affiliation and to what extent adaptive Structuration group theory promotes diversity or entrenches negative ethnicity. 3.0 INTRODU... ... middle of paper ... ...y confirms the prevalence of adaptive Structuration theory in expressing political choices among Kenya’s social media groups which affirm that to an extent the urban youth feel attached to and bound to identify with certain Communitarian sympathies akin to their ethnic affiliation. It is a democratic gain that the more technologically savvy among the voting youth are utilizing the digital space to maximize political messaging. However, the danger lies in the increasingly ethnic tendencies of emerging social media. The growing minority of digitally engaged citizens ought to influence the bottom line towards a more inclusive and tolerant politics. Key institutions such as the National Cohesion and Integration Commission and the Communications Commission of Kenya must device new regulatory systems to ameliorate the negative impact of negative ethnicity on social media.
In this article Mary Kate Cary opens up with the supreme court decision to not restrict the use of corporate funds in political advertising so that she can make her point that big money ads are not the most effective way for candidates to reach American constituents. She argues that social media is a new way for politicians to connect with citizens. Her five claim are that Americans can now, choose the media they wish to consume, share the media they choose the share, like posts they agree with and dislike posts they do not agree with, connect with others on social media, and donate to candidate campaigns online. With these claims she comes to the conclusion that politicians want to go around mainstream media so that they can connect directly with the voters.
In Nicholas Carr’s article “How Social Media Is Ruining Politics”, Carr writes about the effects that social media has on politics. In his article, Carr focuses more on the negative effect that social media has when it comes to politics. Some points that he makes about social media include specific examples like the recent presidential campaigns, how other technological advances over the years have effected politics, and the effectiveness that social media has on politics
Malcolm Gladwell’s article "Small Change: Why the Revolution Will not be Tweeted" raises a significant question about the prospective contribution of web-based social networking to the advent of progressive social movement and change. Gladwell’s bold declaration that "the revolution will not be tweeted" is reflective of his view that social media has no useful application in serious activism. Contrasting various elements of the “high-stakes” lunch-counter protests in Greensboro, North Carolina in the 1960’s with the “low-stakes” activism achieved through social media, Gladwell concludes that effective social movements powerful enough to impose change on longstanding societal forces require both “strong ties” among participants and the presence of a hierarchical organizations. In contrast, Gladwell characterizes the social networks as an interwoven web of "weak ties" that is inherently devoid of a hierarchy. Gladwell’s prerequisites for social movement are firmly based in strong body of sociological evidence, but his views regarding the nature of online social networks are laughably lacking in foresight and obstructed by a misleadingly selective body of evidence.
Throughout history, social movements have continuously formed because of a person who had the courage to stand up against the injustice they witnessed in every day live. When I was a child, I remember feeling as if it takes a superhero-like person to start a social movement. However, I have found that through the use of social media today, any person with a passion for making a change can spark a social movement. Social movements are a powerful way to help people believe that their voice matters and they should stand up for what they believe in. Before the advancement of technology, it took a lot longer for social movements to become prominent in society’s media outlets because of the difficulties of not having enough time in one’s life to
Though social media has many positives, it serves to be helpful for low risk activism but may be unfavorable for high risk activism.
Facebook, Twitter and other social platforms have become one of the central activities in human affairs. Used by people around the world promoting communication, social media gives scope to everyone to exhibit their ideas and thoughts. The plethora of social platforms is a revolutionary invention that is changing the way of how people moderate and communicate with others in their daily lives. Although many people admire this revolutionary concept, it can be argued that it has a negative impact on society. Extensive usage of social media can cause addiction, affecting productivity, and also reduce the level of human interaction, which in turn leads to isolation. Social media is correlated to many of the issues that revolve feminism and mental illness through anthropology, sociology and psychology.
Safranek, Rita. 2012. The Emerging Role of Social Media in Political and Regime Change. s.l. : Proquest, 2012.
Winograd, Morley, and Michael D. Hais. Millennial Makeover [electronic Resource] : MySpace, YouTube, and the Future of American Politics. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2008. DiscoverE. Web. 28 Mar. 2012. .
The main aim of this report is to analyze the impacts of changes in the media concerning the societal and individual view of politics and politicians. The report also describes significant milestones in mass media since the year 1960 and examines the impact of mass media on how people think politically. The report then considers the effect of technological advancements in mass media and the effect on the results of elections. The use of mass media has increased over the last fifty years in that it is a primary medium through which supporters of various campaigners share their ideas and views concerning politicians and different political parties. Through social media, behaviors and performance of several activists have brought
The researchers present findings that indicate that a politician’s popularity in the voting booth may be related to the frequency with which the candidate is talked about on social media. The researchers goes on to discuss how further research may conclude that social media has a bigger impact on voting outcomes than traditional forms of media, and how that could potentially shape the future of voting.
Within Kenya alone there are forty-eight ethnic groups (Collier, 2009, pg. 51). During the 2007 Kenyan Elections there were multiple candidates from differing ethnic ...
In addition to this primary source, a variety of articles that discuss the use of rhetoric on social media, as well as the use of social media in a political context, will be addressed. Many articles may discuss social media and its implications on society, and privacy, but fewer deliberate the effects social media may have on impacting citizen’s political perspectives. The use of language on social media, especially in younger generations, tends to be rudimentary and as a result may not be adept at representing the issue. This tends to leave the discussion open to personal interpretation and often leads to misinformation. By looking at the use of rhetoric on social media in general, as well as the use of social media for political discussion, I intend to develop and support this theory.
Social media including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Flicker, internet websites, and blogs are becoming mainstream attracting a younger more technology savvy voter. Many candidates in the last elections learned to use these mediums so not to overlook tech savvy voters and learned how to use these to their advantage. Candidates took to the internet to raise awareness, state views, and even successfully raised donations. Social media was able to provide instant feedback on the standing of a candidate often days or weeks sooner than a more traditional poll.
Social media is a controversy topic in today’s society. Some people think that social media destroys human interaction and real life human relationships. While others think that social media is a bless to humanity. Social media makes human interaction much more convenient and much faster than real life human interaction, it makes globalization a reality, it gives a chance for introverted people to express themselves, and it also benefit develop international relationships whether its business or social.
In the Philippine history, Filipinos were colonized by many countries. Freedom that time was very limited especially to those who are not powerful and influential. Today after several decades, Philippines turned into a democratic country and freed in any kinds of colonization. In the fast world of technology and social media, Philippines has topped to have the highest average time in using social media sites with approximately 4 hours and 17 minutes according to Mark Camus of Inquirer.Net. This is not surprising since Filipinos was deprived of expressing themselves in the way they want.