Write 10 pages with APA style on The Impact that Social Media Has Had on Political Communication, Participation and Democracy.

Write 10 pages with APA style on The Impact that Social Media Has Had on Political Communication, Participation and Democracy. The ability to influence members of the public to support a given course in governance and politics is a challenging yet rewarding task for policymakers and consultant politicians. At times when public decisions are required among a variety of choices, politicians have often utilized social media channels to defend their stand and demonstrate to their supporters, the benefits or merits of supporting a policy. In contemporary times, it’s common to hear political parties devise social media strategies to reach out and engage the greater public if they have to be effective in their campaigns (Gilmore and Howard, 2013). The openness of the social media platforms allows politicians to post their criticisms over bills and policies, passing them to the public and soliciting support towards their claims.

Political parties compete in garnering support through the mobilization of the public. In the case of the United States, democrats and republicans debate on policies that do not rest in the legislative houses alone. Rather, it is taken out to the public via social media platforms, which allows citizens to monitor their representatives’ stance and leave their comments. Since President Obama took office, gay marriage, legal abortion, and healthcare issues did attract intense and massive debates online and in traditional media. Political opponents and supporters utilized social media either to rebuke the propositions or clarify to the public, what the bills implied. For such sensitive social policies, they pulled the majority of the public to participate in the online forums. The debate over democrats and republicans' support for abortion policy has in the recent months appeared critical for opposing politicians such as Paul Rand and Debbie Wasserman, needing those on social media to voice up their thoughts (Sarlin, 2015. Enloe, 2015). Their defensive statements on their political stance in regard to the policy continue to elicit more information to the public, while massive followers respond in support and criticism of the issue.