Twitter as an Information Platform for International Political Change - Term Paper Example

The paper "Twitter as an Information Platform for International Political Change " is a worthy example of a term paper on media. Social media and the political environment have increasingly become integrated into the contemporary world. Social and political issues across local, regional, national, and international borders are finding their way into social media. On the same note, people are turning to social media for the purpose of monitoring the political environment all over the world. For this reason, social media continues to take a high stake in both domestic and international politics.

Social media is critically influencing global politics both positively and negatively. Components of social media are many in number (Barlow and David 84), but the main focus of this paper is directed towards twitter. The position and role played by twitter in international politics are evaluated under the social media umbrella. This is due to the fact that twitter is one of the key drivers of social media. Twitter among other components of social media has revolutionized the political environment, making it more open and accessible to the international community.

Social media, noting twitter, in particular, provides an informative platform where political change is born. Users of social media express their political concerns to the relevant authorities and agencies through social media, which happen to be users of the same (Yadav 103). Responses that are deemed necessary or appropriate to pass through social media are made, while advice is offered on critical ones that are better dealt with in the absence of the public eye. In other words, social media is an information tool in regard to the political environment.

The interaction between users has also fostered political ties for the purpose of promoting global peace initiatives. Users of social media come from different countries across the globe. While some of these countries are democratic, others are highly totalitarian (Shirky 31). The interaction of different persons from different regions of the world enables information sharing in support of human rights and the need to have a peaceful world. This acts as one of the ways through which warring countries are challenged.

The use of social media as an interaction platform can be used to solve long-lived political and social issues (Yadav 162). For example, the Israeli-Gaza conflict dates back to as long as these two rivals can remember. The social media advocacy is trying to foster peaceful relations between the two parties. This has been done through critiquing the conflict while highlighting the social, economic, and political effects of the conflict. Relating the situation in Israeli and Gaza to the rest of the peaceful world leaves so much to be desired by the two bitter rivals.

In this respect, the ultimate objective is to campaign for political reforms or changes that would see the alleviation of the Israeli-Gaza conflict. Social media reports are made available to all users, thereby making international communication easy, efficient, and effective (Barlow and David 107). These reports have been the basis of political criticisms all over the world. The shortcomings observed in different political systems across the globe are noted and shared on the internet. News relating to new developments across the globe also spread within no time.

In other words, boundaries have collapsed and the world has become a global village (Gregory 64). As a result, social media has exacerbated globalization, consequently impacting positively on social and political change all over the world. The use of twitter as a communication tool for this purpose is outstanding. Amid the positivity associated with social media in the social and political arena, aspects of negativity are also noted. Social media has often been used to exaggerate the political activities undertaken around the world (Yadav 193).

From the spread of political rumors to harboring propaganda, social media has tainted the political picture of some nations while exaggerating that of others. Instead of alleviating inter-country conflicts around the world, social media to some extent acts as the source of inter-country conflicts. Taking the examples of countries like Syria, Israel, Iraq, and Egypt among others, social media has in the past or present spread untrue scenarios about one or more of these countries (Shirky 35). What this means is that social media is flexible, diverse, and dynamic when it comes to social and political advocacy.

However, the fact that it is prone to abuse cannot be disputed. Moreover, information passed through social media can be tailored towards downplaying or looking down upon the social and political stature of a community, society, or country. For instance, hatred against Muslims in the United States has been an online debate for quite some years in regard to the ever-rising risk of terrorism across the globe (Shirky 58). In conclusion, the integration of social media in the global political environment is fundamental.

Social media, amid its pros and cons, plays a critical role in influencing global politics and social change bids. While the political environment around the world is diverse and dynamic, social media has a way of factoring in these differences. The outcome is a platform within which civilians, agencies, authorities, and all global political stakeholders can interact, thereby influencing social and political change.