Every minute of everyday, it seems like Donald Trump curates a new outrageous tweet. It has gotten to the point where many wonder if he spends more time tweeting than improving our country. This has created a stigma that politics and social media should not mix, but social media is actually a great way to spread information.

Social media spreads awareness for all aspects of our government including the promotion of campaigns and protests, providing a platform to view political stances, informing the public, and getting the people of our country involved. I believe that the role of social media in government is a good one (for the most part) and is beneficial to our country.  

The spread of information is key to a successful government and essential to any society. The majority of Americans are constantly using their phones everyday and a lot of that time is spent on various social media sites. Government leaders, politicians, and even the president target social media as a platform to express their ideas and spread information. Informing and educating the public through social media allows our population to be more educated and involved in government.

Freedom of speech is one of the most fundamental rights that our constitution has to offer and various sites allow a platform to exercise this right. Allowing the people of our country to come together and express their beliefs results in a more involved body of citizens. As inhabitants of our country become more involved, they become more aware, educated, and create a government tailored to the people.

Major movements and protests have erupted over the course of the past year, but have you ever wondered how all of these people came together? Well, it’s thank social media. Protests like the “Women’s March on Washington” and the “No Ban No Wall” protests both used social media to promote their causes hoping those who viewed would participate in it. All over the internet, promotions for protests like these are present and spread awareness about these reforms. There are even forms of social media protests including hashtags like “#notmypresident” and “#lovetrumpshate”.

Although social media has great potential and benefits, it does have its flaws. Many people, including our president, have exploited social media and turned it into a platform to express unnecessary, unproductive, and unethical comments. Although social media and politics can get out of hand sometimes when mixed, tweets (especially from officials) are sometimes extremely shocking and unprofessional. I truly believe that this problem will never be able to be prevented and we must accept the bad that comes with the good (and there’s a whole lot of good).

Social media has taken over the lives of many americans, and as we continue into the future, our advancements will affect how the government are governed. Today, social media takes a large beneficial role within our government and within our society.