...The Political Power Of Social Media In most of the inhabited land, before the 12th Century A.D, political power resided with the King/Monarch. Power was exerted through local feudal, and collection of taxes each year. In 1215 A.D, the Magna Carta was signed by the King of England, giving away some of those powers to the aristocracy. This initiative was replicated in Europe till the 18th Century. The American Revolution of 1775 and the French Revolution of 1789 were products of this period of enlightenment (of Europe mostly) in modern history known as the ‘Renaissance’. As a result of these revolutions and the wars preceding them, political power was transferred to the representatives of the people, i.e. the system of parliamentary democracy. After the demise of imperialism (or at least the ‘older/traditional’ form of it) in the 20th Century, democracy has been the preferred political system in most countries around the world. There is a new kid on the block though. In 2007, the US Presidential campaign for Barack Obama utilized and benefitted tremendously from the massive number of people using social media outlets such as MySpace, Facebook and Twitter. Obama’s presidential campaign raised a record-breaking $745 million. Apart from charisma and prowess in public speaking, Barack Obama and his campaign reaped the reward for engaging people on social media. The following graph demonstrates a clear contrast in the policies of the two contestants (McCain and Obama) during the presidential...
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...The crowd quickly swelled, and in the next few days, over a million people arrived, choking traffic in downtown Manila. The public's ability to coordinate such a massive and rapid response -- close to seven million text messages were sent that week -- so alarmed the country's legislators that they reversed course and allowed the evidence to be presented. Estrada's fate was sealed; by January 20, he was gone. The event marked the first time that social media had helped force out a national leader. Estrada himself blamed "the text-messaging generation" for his downfall. Since the rise of the Internet in the early 1990s, the world's networked population has grown from the low millions to the low billions. Over the same period, social media have become a fact of life for civil society worldwide, involving many actors -- regular citizens, activists, nongovernmental organizations, telecommunications firms, software providers, governments. This raises an obvious question for the U.S. government: How does the ubiquity of social media affect U.S. interests, and how should U.S. policy respond to it? As the communications landscape gets denser, more complex, and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to information, more opportunities to engage in public speech, and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action. In the political arena, as the protests in Manila...
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...Media Freedom in Pakistan: Curse or a Blessing The right to pursue knowledge is often an underrated phenomenon especially in respect to current political scenario. We live in a world overloaded with information and keeping something hidden has become a tougher task than it was 20 years ago. This eruption of information has resulted in the growth of a class amongst the masses who are more politically and socially aware than the previous generations. However, it is also important to realize the costs that this knowledge can concur on one’s individuality and perception of events. Media in all forms is a prime source of information today. It helps mould people’s opinion, is a catalyst for social progress and is also creating a populace which is politically aware. There are multiple private news channels, numerous magazines and newspapers along with varied Radio channels in operation today in Pakistan. Much of this progress, ironically, has come under the tutelage of a military dictator of Pervez Musharraf in the past decade. This begs a question: does the lack of provision of knowledge in totalitarian regime impede the social progress of its subjects? Pakistani media industry has blossomed from a sole state-sponsored TV channel to an efficient profiting industry. It’s not a surprise that many of the private TV channels are run purely as a business entity because of which journalistic ethics suffers unfortunate casualties. However, it is these channels which are responsible for...
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...Bahar Arapkirli Writing Sample SOCIAL MEDIA: THE NEW OPIUM OF PEOPLE Thanks to the conceptual compositions of two different, Marxist explanation of class struggles and Freudian perspective on authoritative behavior, the critical approach on media and communication have been a growing aspect of our daily life since the second war era in which rulers used the mass propaganda by using media as an ideological state apparatus especially on increasing power of Hitler’s Germany. Today, we live in a world in which this critical approach is the very canon of decreasing the exploitation of ruler class who spend huge amount of money only for media and communication. (Peter and Simmonson 2004) From the perspective of working class, the picture seems more colorful than fifteen years ago if we consider this criticism of media and its trustworthiness by the effects of social media and blogging. One may clearly say that “Now we have our own instruments to clarify the fact and enjoy publishing our own opinion.” and even I can nod my head and ignore the “dark side of the moon”1 presented by Karl Marx on the topic of exploitation, however, in this essay, I’m going to follow my ideological ancestors and say “matter a fact, it’s all dark”2 as a rejection to this very uprising idea that alternative media makes us less exploited by ruler class of Turkey because our own counter-hegemony attitudes on social media tricks us into a brand new hegemony, the hegemony that forwards...
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...Assignment 1: Social Media Medina 1 Prof: LEG 100: Business Law 1 July 25, 2013 Medina 2 A few years ago I jumped on the social media bandwagon after being introduced to it by my father. I was always a little skeptical about social media because of all negative that I had heard about it. Now, I love it because there is a lot of positive about social media as far as I am concerned. Social media is an asset to marketing, and it is fun for personal use as well. I am fan of Facebook so I will discuss how it can direct consumers to a better source of purchasing. A Legally Astute Marketing Manager According to our text a legally astute manger has four components; a set of value-laden attitudes about the importance of law to the firm’s success; a proactive approach to regulation and legal issues; the ability to exercise informed judgment when managing the legal aspects of business; the appropriate use of legal tools and context specific knowledge of the law (Bagley, 2013, p. 11). The legally astute social media marketing manager has to take those components a step further. The legally astute social media marketing manager must embrace social media and its networking power to drive sustainable change in the...
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...the libertarian theory, 3. the communist theory and 4 the social responsibility theory. Very briefly, here are the main characterstics of each of these theories. Authoritarian: The state, as the highest expression of institutionalized structure, supersedes the individual and makes it possible for the individual to acquire and develop a stable and harmonious life Mass communication, then, supports the state and the government in power so that total society may advance and the state may be viable and attain its objectives. The State (the elite that runs the state) directs the citizenry, which is not considered competent and interested enough to make critical political decisions. One man or an elite group is placed in a leadership role. As the group or person controls society generally it (or he or she) also controls the mass media since they are recognized as vital instruments of social control. The mass media, under authoritarianism, are educators and propagandists by which the power elite exercise social control. Generally the media are privately owned, although the leader or his elite group may own units in the total communication system. A basic: assumption a person engaged in journalism is so engaged as a special privilege granted by the national leadership. He, therefore, owes an obligation to the leadership. This press concept has formed and now forms, the basis for many media systems of the world. The mass media, under authoritarianism, have only as much freedom as the...
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...Harnessing The Power Of Social Media In International Relations – Analysis March 31, 2011 By ISN Insights Twitter may be just another way of sharing inane chatter, but if you have written the service off, think again. Social media has emerged as a powerful new tool in international relations, and it deserves closer attention. By Fergus Hanson for ISN Insights The wonderful and frightening thing about social media and Web 2.0 technologies is that their consequences are so unpredictable. When Jack Dorsey launched Twitter in 2006, did he envisage that the medium would end up playing a role in the attempted overthrow of the regime in Tehran? Did Mark Zuckerberg foresee Facebook being used by activists to help rally support for regime change across the Middle East when he was busy writing code in his college dorm room? The stunning and exciting role social media is beginning to play in our lives has sparked a fierce debate over the power of social media in international relations. Because the landscape is still so chaotic and uncertain, the debate has really only just begun. Fear of the new For many, the idea that anything meaningful can come out of a 140 character message (called a ‘tweet’) is preposterous. Suggesting these social, interactive media are stirring or enabling popular uprisings or even revolutions is heretic. Unsurprisingly there have been plenty of people willing to step in and ridicule any suggestion that these and other social media platforms are somehow...
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...Social Media-Instagram Strayer University LEG100143VA005-1146-001 Prof. Renee Berry August 14, 2014 In the past several years the rise of social media outlets has become astounding. From Myspace in 2004, Facebook in 2007 and the newest social media craze, Instagram in 2010. Instagram is a fun and quirky way to share your life with friends through a series of pictures. Snap a photo with your mobile phone, then choose a filter to transform the image into a memory to keep around forever (Frommer). The founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Kreiger launched Instagram October 6, 2010 by December twenty-first of that year the community had grown to over one million users (Instagram, press page). Many companies also use Instagram and other social networking sites to advertise their businesses. This paper will explore the four components of a legally astute social media marketing manager; analyze methods of alternative dispute resolution; determine how federal government can best control transactions; examine which branch of the government can have the most impact on regulating consumer; and explain the agency relationship that exists on social media sites. Legally astute managers have multiple abilities among those abilities are being proactive and being able of identifying and pursuing opportunities to use the legal system to improve the total value of the firm. To be a legally astute manager is to have the ability to communicate effectively and to work together to solve complex...
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...International Conference on Communication, Media, Technology and Design ICCMTD 09-11 May 2012 Istanbul - Turkey “THE SOCIAL MEDIA AS A PUBLIC SPHERE: THE RISE OF SOCIAL OPPOSITION” Asst. Prof. Dr. A. Fulya ŞEN Fırat Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi - Gazetecilik Bölümü - Elazığ Abstract In The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere, Habermas described the bourgeois public spheres of the 18th and 19th century in England, France, and Germany. These spheres arose as arenas of cultural critique often arising from reading societies that focused on novels and the like. Cultural critique became political critique as these groups turned to issues of public concern fighting policies of censorship and for freedom of opinion. The public sphere is in the work of Jürgen Habermas conceived as a neutral social space for critical debate among private persons who gather to discuss matters of common concern in a free and rational way. This public sphere is open and accessed for public. Habermas pointed out that media has contributed to the decay of the rational-critical discourse and causing the decline of the public sphere. Political public spheres include social movements, media that monitor and criticize the state, and groups that take political action. In recent times have seen an explosion of debate, blogging, theorising and hype around the role of the internet in today’s social movements. Social media -internet applications such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube which facilitate...
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...Brave New World: The use of mass media and propaganda The society is determined by the nature of people within it and how they relate. The influence of external factors like religion, politics, and technology contribute a lot to the structure and development of the society. In the novel Brave New World, the concept of social media and propaganda are explicitly expressed through various accounts. The author has used the influence of social media to bring a deeper understanding of how various characters, decisions, and acts are influenced. Social media in the novel act as a channel through which propaganda is manifested. Social power and influence is an attribute of propaganda that is directed through the masses via social media. Hence, in the context of this essay will address how mass media and propaganda are used in novel Brave New World. The human society has been dictated by their role in social media and how they influence decision and choices in life. Aldous Huxley in his novel describes a community that has been infiltrated by untruth and misguided by some beliefs and information from a selected group of people. The basic set up in the society is controlled by those who feel superior and elite compared to the others. Propaganda is spread of wrong information that causes a severe impact to the community or a group of people. In the novel Brave New World, the conflict between individual and the society being different and unique is an act of propaganda. The use of Soma...
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...Of Race In Media * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Much of our perceptions of the world are based on narratives and the images that we see in film, television, radio, music, and other media. These are some of the outlets that construct how individuals see their social identities, as well as learn and understand about what it is to be black, white, Native American, Asian, South American, etc. (Dow, Wood, 2006, p. 297). You will get a better understanding of this once you understand the concept of ideologies. Ideologies are what create our perception of the world around us, whether it is political, social, economic, etc. Ideologies are not the product of individual intention or conscious, rather we create our intentions within ideology (Marris, Thornham, 2000, p. 267). These ideologies exist before we are even born; they form the social constructions and conditions that we are born into. But, ideologies are just a practice, and it is produced and reproduced in apparatus of ideological production. The media is a great example of an apparatus of ideological production (Marris, Thornham, 2000, p. 273). It produces social meanings and distributes them throughout society. However, as long as ideologies continue so will social struggles such as racism, which we will discuss in this essay. Media elites represent different races through media based on their ideologies. This has a predominant influence on the social constructions...
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...period, social media has become a fact of life for civil society worldwide. Regular citizens, companies, activists, NGO’s, software providers and last but not least government and politics use social media as a new form of communication (Foreignaffairs, 2011). One of the most famous politicians who started to use the power of social media in his political campaigns was Barack Obama. The key differenc of Obama’s campaign strategy in contrast to his competitors was that Obama used social media to communicate and organize individuals by using social media. By using technologies such as computers, cell phones, web sites and many more he reached the goal of every politicians to connect his followers, delivered them with interesting news as well as to build up a strong community. Nevertheless not only Obama tooke advantage of the undeniable power of Social Media and its technologies. Over the past years our society realized it’s power, and there might only be few companies left in the western world that are not represented on at least one Social Media Platform (Obama Buch). But maybe one of the most important topics when we’re talking about Social Media is the reachability of Mass and therefore the political Mass Movements that keep emerging from Social Media Platforms. We might only think about the Occupy Movement, Arab Spring or the most recent example Kony 2012. Those Movements do have the ability to transform our society worldwide by it’s unwritten power. This power drives every...
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...Social Media Marketing in the News: Social Media and Consumer Behavior Social Media and Consumer Behavior Social media has become a constant part of the everyday lives of consumers affecting the way they acquire products and their attitudes toward brands. The connection is clearly widespread and reflected directly on its real time basis influencing not only their behavior but also their purchasing decisions. Social media offered another channel for consumers to follow products and to understand brands that they patronize. This paper will discuss how consumers behave on social media and illustrate how social media influence consumer behavior. “Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter give consumers an investigative eye into what products and services they desire are really about” (Hall, 2014). These social media platforms served to be better sources of information and insight about the products and brands. People commented in social media to validate information and to provide assertion which is resonated within communities. Consumers looking for information on products and services can read reviews, comments, and recommendations within a social media platform. Social media allowed consumers to know what other consumers think about products and services and they employ this understanding in their purchase making decisions. “Social media sites also allow a close eye into the companies that provide these products and services and to be able to converse with other people...
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...The internet age has completely transformed how society functions: from how we communicate to how we do business, from how we shop to how we bank, from how we digest news and media to how we travel and spend our leisure time. Even government oversight, and criminal elements, has had to adjust to the new threat landscape in the internet age. The new internet based economy has driven a shift in power from traditional brick and mortar business to online e-commerce based industries, and with it established a new social structure encompassing new definitions of bourgeoisie and proletariat. This new shift has consolidated the majority of power in the hands of just a few internet giants who hold the fate of our online identities in their hands. In this paper, I will discuss how the Internet Age has become monopolized by a few leading tech companies who now have unprecedented power, and how the Internet has fundamentally changed how our society functions. I will discuss the new class structures created based on Bourguise Author, market factors which led to this massive consolidation of power, based on concepts of neoliberalism argued by neoliberalism author, and new models of oppression of labor via social media based on arguments by Young. I will additionally discuss new vulnerabilities and risk of the Internet age, and methods of mitigating those risks in the future (WEAK…IMPROVE). A few leading tech companies have become the conglomerates of the internet age. They buy up competition...
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...ICOM101 Major Essay Does Media Discourse Reproduce Social Inequality? Student Name : Pratama Robin Rachel Discourse denotes to the various forms of representation, codes, habits, conventions associated with language are responsible for producing specific culturally and historically located meanings. Media discourse can be described as an interaction through a media platform with the help of verbal or non-verbal communication. It has been found that media can potentially influence the public. The objective of this essay is to find out the role of media discourse in reproducing social inequality. In order to meet this objective, in the following sections the concept of discourse is explained vividly along with its style of operations. A relationship between media discourse and social inequality will be established in this essay. Discourse can be referred to the manner or way of communication between individuals or group. Discourse plays a major role in determining how an individual will understand and interpret a specific thing based upon ideas, thoughts and beliefs. According to Michel Focault, discourse is an entity of sequences, codes and signs in that they are enouncements. Media discourse includes various media outlets such as radio, television, newspaper, magazine, internet etc. The inevitable power of media has been discussed in discourse studies. Many research studies have shown that media plays an important role in influencing the thought process of individuals...
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