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The Role of Social Media in Transmitting Political Symbols and Rhetoric
Many people will agree that social media has played a crucial role in developing the current sphere of information. After examining the articles on organized social media manipulation by both state and non-state actors, I was brought to believe that there is a need to discuss acceptable and appropriate ways through which state actors can use cyber tools to ensure the scope of information transmitted abides by fundamental human rights.
These reports invoke deep insights on the increasing number of states leveraging cyberspace to address geopolitical agendas concerning political symbols and rhetoric transmission. Through personal research, I have established that the use of sophisticated computational propaganda on Twitter, for instance, by state players, continues to suppress human rights and discredits nonconformists. According to Bradshaw and Howard, such phenomena are common in China, Russia, Pakistan, and Iran (5). The prevalence of disinformation in the media emphasizes the importance of discussing the media’s role in disseminating political rhetoric.
How state actors use social media to manufacture consensus
I gather that the use of computational propaganda in shaping public attitudes is common in many countries today. It is indeed an essential component of state-led digital campaigns, characterized by a large flow of information and little user trust. Bradshaw and Howard (6) influenced my perception that the Chinese government may have engaged in Twitter campaigns to brand Hong Kong nonconformists as malicious and unpopular. I was brought to understand that state agencies’ dissemination of such disinformation could be used in manipulating legitimate nationalistic processes. Propaganda, fake accounts, and other human agents often create millions of posts and disinformation to counter and discredit any opposition, as Holmes (3) depicts.
State actors using social media automate suppression.
Many people would agree that manipulation of political revolutionists through censorships and surveillance as a tool for discrediting political opposition is common in many African countries. Reading through these articles has influenced my perception of the emergence of global social media influence. As a result of the shift in my perspective, I hold that authoritarian regimes’ information control is indeed a strategy used by state agencies in many countries to suppress journalists and civil societies. The evidence presented by Bradshaw and Howard (9) points out that cyber troops are a common phenomenon in many countries where government agencies often use military campaigns to shape attitudes domestically. The countries that can access the more sophisticated global social media platforms like china are using such tools to impose influence and power. The disinformation issue seems complex to accord a single solution since it involves combining both technology and human conduct.
State actors using social media to Undermine Trust in the liberal international order.
Reading “weapons of Mass Destructions” by Nemr and Gangware (9) made me re-evaluate my perceived notions about social media posts’ veracity. I realized that high secrecy levels characterize the emergence of foreign influence in social media operations characterizes the emergence of foreign influence in social media operations that appears to undermine its proliferation. This has consequentially eroded the sense of authority and exposed this domain to bad actors. However, such proliferations have not only posed a threat to the authenticity of information on twitter but has also helped in heightening public consciousness about foreign-Twittered disinformation attacks (Linvilla and Warren, 448) Nemr and Gangware (9) added that the veracity of information in social media matters least while the narratives’ speed is created and disseminated increases. Though the significance of the propaganda disseminated is often unclear, I have discovered that pro-government posts help in distracting and suppressing government critics.
Conclusion
I learned how social media platforms have attempted to shut down fake accounts and other agents to tame propaganda and those undermining honest public conversations. Consequentially, the media’s role in amplifying disinformation has become under sharp scrutiny. I hold that it is important not to overlook the role social media has played in developing the current information sphere. However, as technology evolves and continues to change society, I suggest that efforts should be aimed at technology solutions that encourage deliberations and concessions that can keep the public informed and happy.
Works Cited
Bradshaw S & Howard P. N. “The Global Disinformation Order 2019 Global Inventory of Organized Social Media manipulation”. (, 2019).
Linvilla L. D. & Warren P. L. “Troll Factories: Manufacturing specialized Disinformation https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2020.1718257
Nemr Christina & Gangware W. “Weapons of Mass Destructions: Foreign State-Sponsored Disinformation in The Digital Age.” (2019). PARK ADVISORS.
Holmes A. “Twitter Banned A network of Fake a Network of Fake Accounts Pretending to Be Black People Leaving the Democratic party to Support Trump.” 2020. Business Insider.