MANIPULATION OR CONTROL OF PUBLIC OPINION
MANIPULATION OR CONTROL OF PUBLIC OPINION
Politicians and special interests have attempted to manipulate public opinion. This
has put into question the feasibility of democratic government because mass media
shapes public opinion and can therefore be used to "control" democracy.
Manipulation of public opinion isn’t anything new. It has traditionally been
achieved by repeating a specific message to the public and to the media to install a
particular narrative that serves one’s interests.
Unfortunately, one of the major concepts adopted recently is social media, and
social media has become an extension of this. Today’s Internet economic
incentives foster an environment of clickbait and instant gratification, originally
leveraged for online advertisement and moneymaking, but that it turns out is
perfect too for catchphrase politics, particularly in a moment of the resurgence of
demonizing politics.
And this works by Expanding an online presence, through accounts managed by
robots or humans, giving the impression that more people support or reject a given
idea of a case. Suggesting that many people around you are supporting a given
cause increases the probability that you will endorse it yourself. In addition, the
artificial amplification of online activity makes it possible to manipulate the digital
platforms’ recommendation algorithms
And I believe it can be countered by taking into account individual action to ensure
a healthy online life, Regulating digital platforms to curb fake news, News must be
verified from Legit sources before being given access to social platforms, by doing
this the rate of fake news and idea will drop significantly, and the regulations also
apply to removing bots which have been pumped into the social media platforms.
Educating the masses on how to verify the news they have heard before passing it
to another person, also educating them on how actual democracy works so they can
see through the manipulations. I believe if these few steps are taken into
consideration the manipulation of public opinion in democracy can be curbed.
Victor Ude, Sumy State University, student, Nigeria
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