@4AdamAdam
#Twitter is not only exposing the brutality of regimes but also good for democracymemeburn.com/2011/08/9-ways…#Libya #Feb17
Retweeted by mijami2 and 8 others
We all know tweeting isn’t the same as voting and that most people on Twitter are observers rather than participants. I’ve long believed, however, that Twitter has the potential to make a significant contribution to a culture of openness, inclusiveness and what it means to be a member of the body politic, and the more I scroll through my timeline, the more I see evidence that this is the case.
Here are 9 ways that Twitter is good for democracy.
1. First, and most obviously, access to Twitter is not easily controlled. We’ve seen the power of social media in exposing the brutality of regimes in Iran, then Egypt and Libya and now Syria. Information is power, and the less control governments are able to exercise over its flow, the more ordinary citizens will enjoy the freedom to question the way in which they are governed. Importantly, this doesn’t only apply to despots — it also means that the mainstream media has less control over the message.
2.Twitter brings politicians closer to the people. Not just Weinergate-style (I can’t think of any politician I’d want to get that close to), but in ways that really do matter. In many parts of the world these days, if you want to attract the attention of your friendly local public representative, you go to his or her Twitter profile.
Recently, a South African singer, Simphiwe Dana, wasn’t happy with the answers she got from Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille. She took the debate to Twitter, where supporters from various ends of the political spectrum got involved. DA Spokesperson Lindiwe Mazibuko weighed in, tweeting:
