Social Media Bias

It is common knowledge that communication has changed over the years, but that does not necessarily mean that communication has improved. Rather, social media’s attempt to increase communication among the population may have, inadvertently, created a world where deep, intellectual conversations are a rarity. Arguably, social media has replaced confrontation with cowardly messaging, scholarly debate with meaningless quarreling, and the value of intelligence with the value of social approval. Because of social media and societal norms, the balance between pathos, logos, and ethos has been disrupted by putting more attention on emotion rather than evidence. Communication may not be the only cause for democracy’s decline, but it is undoubtedly

Instead of seeing confrontation as a way to bring about a positive solution, it is believed to only bring about negative conflicts. People would rather continue to be in quietly disagreement with another than to outwardly address conflicting views. Specific to democracy, this creates one thing: uneducated voters. The majority of the time, these voters are citizens who do not wish to upset others by disagreeing with their political views. However, this is problematic because without discussing one’s views with those who disagree, he or she is bound to remain trapped in a bubble of biased information. Society’s rigidity to accept any information which does not confirm their preconceived bias will ultimately be the downfall of

It is imperative that, as citizens, people start taking interest in both foreign and domestic issues. The whimsical idea of the “American Dream” has essentially put a large group of Americans in a bubble that is closed off to the outside world. Unless events and issues directly effect them, people see no need for immediate action. It is difficult to say whether or not Trump will bring about the change needed to restore this country’s democracy, but the reluctance for change, charged by the ignorance of real world problems, is undeniably more detrimental to democracy than any potential tyrannical leader. Leaders rise and fall but the collective opinion of society is what truly makes the difference. To combat democracy’s fall and avoid making the same mistake as Garry Johnson when asked about Aleppo, the American people need to shift their attention away from the individual lives towards the issues here and overseas affecting the lives of