‘Social media responsible for influencing people’s choices’
Social media has a role in the decline of civility in politics (be it US or India) as it influences people’s choices, especially in election days, said panelists during HT Forum.
Senator Deb Peters (South Dakota) said many opponents spoof the twitter accounts of candidates and attack personal lives of politicians.
Talking about the shift in focus of news, she pointed out, “The line between news and the commentary has blurred now. Civility being lost is the direct repercussion of it.”
State representative Helene M Keeley of Delaware shared how media shifts its focus from the life of politicians to the lives of their sons and daughters.
“The 24x7 display facilitates the flow of exacerbated and exaggerated news.
Such media flow produces fake news, which people trust without even checking its credibility,” she said.
Career counsellor Amrita Dass, said: “The magnification of fake news happens through the use of a software called Chatbox.”
Arvind Mohan, professor of economics, talked along the same lines and discussed how the change of political campaigning propagated through media contributes towards the violation of personal space.
He said, “Incivility is used as a political agenda and social media becomes the medium.”
Carlyle McFarland, principal of La Martiniere College, talked how a television news channel was giving out sensationalised news.
He said, “What better example can be than of Britain where the paparazzi intruded into a princess’ life.”
Manoj Dixit, head of department, public administration at Lucknow University, shared how ‘unchecked and uncensored’ social media is making personal interference in the lives of politicians.
The speakers were in consensus about the influence media and social media platforms have on the increasing incivility in the political arena.
HELENE M KEELEY SHARED HOW MEDIA SHIFTS ITS FOCUS FROM THE LIFE OF POLITICIANS TO THE LIVES OF THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS.