Social media has become one of the most utilized platforms in the world today. Advances in technology have enabled a lot of access to information and eased communication. Most social media platforms require that the user should connect to the internet and more so have a mobile gadget. The demand for these two tools has increasingly been on the rise over the past few decades. In the year 1990, “mobile subscribers made up a total of twelve and a half million users which was an equivalent of 0.25% of the total world population while internet users made up a total of two million and eight hundred thousand users which was a total of 0.05% of the world’s people” (Newcombe 2015).
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In the year 2010, mobile phone subscribers made up a total of four billion, which translates to sixty-eight per cent of the total global population while internet users made up a total of one billion, and eight hundred thousand people, which translates, to 26.6% of the total world population. This data shows that the world is increasingly being converted into a small sphere where a person from any corner of the world can have undeterred access to another far corner of the world in an instant.
Governments have seized this technology to express their openness and accountability. Through social media, people can get current news of whatever issues are happening in their regions. Some governments have created social media platforms such as Facebook pages and Twitter accounts where they post details of their activities for other people to review. In addition, some entities have websites that enable the public to read and know about issues, laws, and regulations and communicate to the relevant bodies whenever it is required.
Social media platforms such as blogs are also used to post complaints and report abusive officers, after which the government can take action against them. In sensitive government sectors such as those involving payment of fees, the government offices post the amounts to be paid on their websites so that the citizens are not deterred by unscrupulous employees.
Use of technology to inform voters is a paramount venture for any country, mainly because it allows the citizens to access information about the candidates and prepare in advance for voting. As mentioned above, due to a large number of social media users, it is imperative that this information is made available to voters. One advantage of this availability is that when voters access this information from the electoral body, they are sure that the people mentioned are the serious and publicly acknowledged candidates.
Many voters are unable to obtain information about the opinion and strategies that the politicians have about important issues and the society. Therefore, most citizens might not vote from an informed point of view, but merely because they feel, they have to carry out this duty. However, with information such as the one that is provided by the politicians on the candidates’ Facebook and Twitter accounts, or reliable sources such as the BallotReady website, voters can take the time to analyze their candidates critically (Maciag 2016). Furthermore, social media platforms promote accountability since with publicly accessible information; the politicians can be held accountable for promises they gave that might not be fulfilled during their tenure in office.
Maciag, M. (2016). Uninformed voters are a problem: This may be a solution.
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Newcombe, T. (2015). Tardy transit? Tweet about It.