The Role of Social Media in Shaping Future Political Landscapes

Abstract

This essay examines the role of social media platforms in the reshaping of future political landscapes. After defining social media and establishing four modes of interaction and types of platform, the existing literature on social media in this regard is then reviewed. Although equal and unbiased usage may further democratize internet political debate, these platforms have brought about political fragmentation that segregates the electorate into segregated echo chambers and contributes towards the possible dominance of populist, demagogic political figures (Battista, 2024). This is particularly due to the way in which these platforms contribute not only to the appearance of political figures but also to a change in the way in which they appear. Engagement with internet politics while historically high, has shown steadily widening global and class divides in terms of number and breadth of interaction practices. Due to unequal access to various kinds of online interaction, the wealthy, well educated and the young will continue to interact over politics in more informed and continuous ways than the poor, less educated and the over 50s. Even more significantly, these four interaction differences – and the political echo chambers they combine to promote – are all independent of one another and of the size and maturity of internet-using populations. One theoretical way forward from here may be to model the impact of social media-led interaction divides on psychological traits like political cynicism or efficacy.

Keywords Social media, political landscapes, echo chambers, democratization, political fragmentation, engagement, interaction divides