Can Social Media, Loud And Inclusive, Fix World Politics?

            I read a political commentary on The Huffington Post titled “Can Social Media, Loud AndInclusive, Fix World Politics?” This intriguing commentary written by Rania Fakhoury, listed ways in which social media can fix world politics and listed ways in which social media can jeopardize the way the way everyone views politics around the world. Rania also explains how the government relies on this extensive tool in ways to exercise power.  

             Social Media has continued to expand and grow since it was ever introduced into our country. Now, Rania states that media is in four out of five countries. Media is used for numerous purposes. It can be used to prevent corruption and it allows the public to participate and engage in government affairs. More importantly, media allows the government to improve and communicate with their citizens. However, while there are many benefits using media especially when it comes to politics, there are many cons too. The media often entails fabricated news which messes with what people think or believe in. For example, Rania mentions how in 2014 Russia spread false news about the downing of the Malaysia Arline flight to cover up their military involvement. In addition, the media also broadcasted extreme hate and many lies about our most recent election.

            I agree with everything Rania Fakhoury writes about in her credible commentary. Not only does Rania strengthen her commentary by providing real life examples of our government and how Social Media plays a role in countries all over the world. While social media will never be a perfect and truthful, it will continue to grow and remain a powerful technological tool for the government and will allow the people to learn more and engage more in politics. 

Turning Protests Into Action With Technology

            I chose to write about a political commentary on The Huffington Post titled “Turning Protests Into Action With Technology.” The authors Gavis Newsom and Sam Blakeslee talk about how the internet and technology is the most powerful tool there is when it comes to politics and the government. However, fabricators of fake news and false information have made this tool untrustworthy which is why that made their own invention- Digital Democracy.

 

              Digital Democracy is a video platform designed so any citizen or advocacy groups can conveniently engage in the democratic process. This gives people the advantage to search anything they want to know more about and know for certain that what they are reading is actually true! I know that when I am interested in learning more about something that is going on with our government, I turn straight to the internet. Yet, I know a lot of things I read are not true or is misinterpreted and I can never be sure. Digital Democracy allows you to search a key word you are wanting to learn more about and then shows you real information and even videos about that specific topic. In addition, it is a great source for young people or those who are not big into politics or government. You do not need to know the names of every legislator or elected representatives, you can just simply type in “election” or “sentence reform” and it will bring up all the videos that talk about it. If everyone wants people to be more educated when voting comes around, Digital Democracy will help with just that!

 

            Digital Democracy is an excellent and useful tool for people who are seeking reliable information and it is even great for the uneducated. I believe Digital Democracy will continue to expand greatly around the United States since it is already easing itself into Texas! It is something we have all been needing.

 

Donald Trump and the psychology of blame

The commentary I chose was something that really caught my eye. It was located on CNN and titled “DonaldTrump and the psychology of blame." This commentary was written by Robert Klitzman whom is a professor of psychiatry. In this article, Klitzman explains how most Americans understand and view politics from a psychological perspective. He used the previous election as an example for his argument, and makes clear how people who were running for office, like Donald Trump, are very much aware how people think in such setting. In result, people like Trump often do things and say things in order to make people believe what they say. He mentions how Trump built a simple narrative that made sense of all the current issues going on in our world at the time, which voters wanted to hear and in return made them believe what they were hearing. In my opinion, I think Trump is excellent at this. It seems now after the election is over, a lot of what comes out of Trumps mouth is “I didn’t say that” or he just makes up excuses. However, in the process of election, candidates just say whatever they want in order for the people to elect them. Klitzman made his argument more credible by incorporating examples he had done in his own research on this topic. The end results were all the same; people made their decisions based on what made sense for them and not on the actual facts. We the people need to pay more attention to how psychology plays a huge role in our decision making and how it can be misused by not only Donald Trump but many other politicians as well.

Should Police Be Allowed to Keep Property Without A Criminal Conviction?

I chose to write an article I found on The Huffington Post which was titled “Should Police Be Allowed to KeepProperty Without A Criminal Conviction?” In summary, two friends had set off for a weekend road trip to Cincinnati with intention to gamble. On the way, they were stopped by a police officer and their vehicle was searched for no reason at all. The officer found $16,500 in cash, which was money the two men had saved up only to gamble. The officer took they money, and they were taken down to the station without even being charged for a crime.  Years later, after thousands of dollars spent on attorney fees, the men finally got their money back. Statistics say that in 2015 net proceeds from civil forfeitures across 14 states more than doubled between 2002 and 2013, jumping from around $100 million to $250 million. This is something we should all be aware of. Officers are jumping to conclusion that maybe the money was being used for drugs or other related crimes. However, search and seizure and having probable cause in order to seize property is a right all Americans deserve. 

Hi Everyone!

My name is Rebekah Compton!