Social media use in politics

Social media use in politics refers to the use of online social media platforms in political processes and activities. Political processes and activities include all activities that pertain to the governance of a country or area. This includes political organization, global politics, political corruption, political parties, and political values. The media's primary duty is to present us with information and alert us when events occur. This information may affect what we think and the actions we take. The media can also place pressure on the government to act by signaling a need for intervention or showing that citizens want change

The Internet has created channels of communication that play a key role in circulating news, and social media has the power to change not just the message, but also the dynamics of political corruption, values, and the dynamics of conflict in politics. Through the use of social media in election processes, global conflict, and extreme politics, diplomacy around the world has become less private and more susceptible to public perception. Overtime, social media has become a larger way of how we are informed by the news of what is going on in the world. These new stations can ever biased about their political opinions. This also includes Twitter and Facebook of holding the potential to alter civic engagement, this holds a large effect and influences individuals toward a particular way of thinking. Social media also affects elections and campaigns, as people share their political views and remind one another to vote. Furthermore, social media can heavily impact politics through the spread of pollution and fake news. For example, it was reported that Russia had managed to infiltrate American social media sources during the 2016 presidential election of Trump and Clinton and flood it with fake news. Further studies have found that in the months leading up to the election, fake news articles favouring Trump were shared 30 million times, in comparison to Clinton's only 8 million.