podcast 1.

Social media has both beneficial and problematic impacts on contemporary politics. It enhances connectivity and information sharing, allowing for global political conversations and awareness of unfolding events. It also enables political activism and mobilization, empowering marginalized groups. However, social media also spreads misinformation, leading to public confusion. It reinforces existing beliefs and promotes hate speech, causing political polarization. Finding a balance is crucial in harnessing the positives of social media in modern politics. Hi, and welcome to my first podcast. I'm Jingwen. I'd like to take this opportunity to talk about contemporary politics on social media. The impacts of social media on contemporary politics are far-reaching, because they invoke both beneficial and problematic impacts. However, some of the benefits of social media in contemporary politics include enhanced connectivity and information sharing. In the article, The Future of Social Media, Apple et al. mentioned that the beneficial impacts of social media have been possible because it provides a global platform for political conversation spaces, enabling individuals to connect globally. The author further posits that social media has enabled the momentary sharing of information in real time and has allowed people to be more aware of the unfurled political events. Another beneficial way which is social media has impacted contemporary politics is by political activism and mobilization. Moreover, the same article highlights that social media has enabled marginalized groups and individuals to zoom up their lives and enhance diversity in politics. Therefore, political activists can now use social media to organize and mobilize people for political events. Lastly, social media has enhanced the civic engagement in contemporary politics since it has easily helped access to political information and members of public have been motivated to take part in political discussions. On the other hand, social media has also negatively affected contemporary politics, especially from the spread of misinformation. Social media has become a breeding ground for fake news that has led to the spread of inaccurate information and public confusion. In the article, this information has retreated to the laborative democracy. McKay and Turnoff state that users mostly access opinions that are in unity with their beliefs and only serve to solidify an already formed basis. Social media optimization algorithms may relate to the formation of inflated bubbles where users are closer from different points of view and principles become stronger. Okay, let's look at what else is going on in this aspect of social media. Social media also plays a role as a source of hate speech and harassment that promotes political polarization. Therefore, even though social media has improved political expression, engagement and action, it is not without its issues including misinformation, publicity as well as polarization. Challenging both issues by finding a balance is vital in successfully using the positives that are generated from social media within modern political ways. Thank you for taking the time in listening and I looking forward to connecting with all of you more.