Introduction
Over the last decade, information technology and social media have played an essential role in organizing political, social and revolutionary movements across the world. The emergence of newer media has created an opportunity for people from different regions to become connected and discuss issues through online platforms. In effect, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook shape both disruptive and non-disruptive activities experienced in the modern world. The results are witnessed in different organized groups, but it is yet there is an absence of a clear understanding of the ways through which newer media influences the occurrence of disruptive activities. The use of social media systematically affects processes such as voting or demonstrating against the functioning of a regime. The use of social media has associated the spread of political protest in several areas as people remain connected and able to send message to people in different geographical sectors. This paper shows that newer media facilitates the spread of information by maintaining the connection of the protesters.
Literature Review
Social Media and Protest Participation
Existing studies show that newer media and social media facilitate participation in political activities. According to Lee (2018), social media creates an opportunity for people to develop political agendas and create awareness to people in different regions. As a result, they draw the attention of many youths creating online discussion. In situations where participating groups differ in ideologies, they are in a position to become organized and share protesting ideas. In a democratic nation, citizens have the right to question the functioning of a regime or a ruling system that exists across the world. In effect, newer media has become an avenue for networking for people with same ideas, thus increasing the rate of protest across the globe. In some situations, there exist traditional gatekeepers playing an essential role in overthrowing the protesting paradigm. Protesters and activists use newer media in an attempt to bypass the gatekeepers, thus fulfilling their desires. For instance, the political scandal that occurred in Korea reveals a strategic approach through which the newer media creates an opportunity for protesters to organize protests (Howard & Hussain, 2011) successfully. The government was in a position to curb the mainstream media from airing the demonstration plans, but it became challenging to prevent protesters from using social media.
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New media and social media create a chance for people to share information, thus attracting different audiences. Seeing political information or information regarding any other institution on social media and digital communication avenues such as blogs and social movement websites has a significant impact on the viewers (Hanna, Vanclay, Langdon, & Arts, 2016). Social media users receive information about an institution incidentally, thus creating differing views about the same incidence. In effect, newer media platforms create a chance for ensuring that people receive information on issues affecting institutions such as a workplace, political arena, families, and schools. As a result, newer media has created a chance for pushing information to the users, thus increasing the number of followers. In situations where people remain connected to through the online websites, it is possible to monitor the offline networks depending on the content and comments received by people. For instance, people are grouped based on work environment and share information about issues affecting their activity. In some occasions, the social network may be more extensive than the offline system. In this case, people have an opportunity for sharing receiving comments from people experiencing the same problem but operating in a different institution. As a result, newer media creates a chance for helping people in a particular social or political movement to make a decision.
Expressive Behavior as a Mediating Strategy
New media creates an opportunity for news exposure to the majority of people, thus promoting political participation. Though the effects remain indirect, the central argument is that new media platforms increase an opportunity for news consumption reflected through increased political and civic involvement (Zeitzoff, 2017). From this view, social media creates a chance for citizens to give political views and get an explanation regarding the effects of participating in such organizations. Issues perceived to be political are not subject to the social discussion, thus creating a chance for people to follow up for their implementation. As people exchange ideas, they explain their concepts and reflect on previously acquired political information. Facebook is a commonly applied social media platform through which people share political information. Expressing political opinions through social media takes different forms, such as posting a new story or a blog that could affect the ideologies of many people. In effect, changes witnessed in emerging democracies represent how newer media create and facilitate revolution. In effect, digital media can be seen as a tool through which people create and share ideas, thus contributing to the revolutionary process.
The existing research reveals that digital media has played an essential role in transforming citizens from observers to participants. As a result, there is a positive correlation between the use of new media platforms and increased participation in protests. This information holds in protest activities in different contexts such as economic, political, and social settings. The effectiveness of digital media and actions towards rally originate from the collective action created by new media. Information presented on digital media platform moves to cross the border and transnational levels, thus helping people with similar ideologies to express their feelings. Halpern, Valenzuela, & Katz, (2017) finds that new media plays an essential role in spreading necessary information regarding the occurrence of protest activities. Several incidences reveal the argument that social media and digital platforms play a role in internationalizing activities that are not covered by official media platforms such as Television and News articles. In some occasions, the government may prevent the spread of protest movements by preventing the spread of such information through official media. For example, the rise of Moldova rallies and protest actions experienced in Iraq after the election spread to international because protesters used news media. If the rallied depended on traditional means of communication, they would not have achieved their objectives. As a result, new media empowers protesters by creating an alternative approach for reaching a target audience even in circumstances where they do have opportunities for using traditional or official communication avenues.
Besides the prediction by many people about the effects of new media protest groups, it is evident that some scholars do not find a significant correlation between the use of new media and participating in protest movements. This information shows that there is no agreement on how new media influences the behavior of protesters in modern society. As a result, there is a need for conducting further research in an attempt to understand how new media enables protesters to achieve the set objectives of their action. The use of new media platforms is considered to be comfortable and cheap compared to traditional communication media. In effect, explore the impact of new media by considering financial implications and time users take to share a message across a particular geographical location. However, there is little known about the mechanisms through which new media influence protesters. As a result, this paper hypothesizes that there is a positive correlation between access to new media and the ability for the users to succeed in conducting protests.
Methodology
Research method
For this paper, there is a focus on conducting a semi-structured interview on people using different kinds of new media. As a result, the study draws a survey from a sample population for people exposed in the protests experienced in South Korea in the year 2016 with an attempt of measuring the correlation between the use of new media and exposure to demonstrations. The research was conducted online, and a total of 978 people were recruited. The selection of participants followed a sampling approach, and they were grouped into two groups. The first structured interview focused on individuals who had access to new platforms to measure their vulnerability to protests. The second category focused on people who used digital and social media platforms to facilitate political, social, or economic protest. The selection of the sample population was skewed towards male and young male as they constituted 54.1%, while Young women constituted the remaining 46.9% (Lee, 2018). The panel surveyed online, and the selected sample was highly trained to respond to the interview questionnaires. In analyzing the results, ten people were eliminated from the research because they failed to complete the surveys.
A semi-structured study created a room for learning new ways in which new media influence protesting groups. The questionnaires were structured in such a way that they created for respondents to give their views focusing on the topic of study. The study became successful because there was an opportunity for asking to follow up questions that influenced how participants responded to the questions without biasness. The questions asked in the research were similar for the different groups though the answers differed depending on whether the participants had exposure to new media and participated in a protest at a given time.
Some of the questions asked during the interview were if the participants had access to new and social media platforms where they shared ideas. 90.4% of the people who said they had registered social media accounts and new media platforms such as blogs were asked about the frequency of use of such statements (Valenzuela, 2013). The respondents were asked to give feedback on the scale of 1 to 8, which would indicate the rate at which they use social media platforms. There was also an interest in understanding the purpose for which people used the social media platforms and the most frequent information that they came across when using such accounts. The first interest was to measure new media use as an avenue for news consumption. In effect, the benefit was to understand the frequency at which participants received news and information regarding political issues through the new media. Participants were also asked how frequently they used new media in expressing their political interests or presenting the opinion of the public through social media platforms. There was also interest in understanding the level at which people used new media in spreading information about the protest or current political scandal (Zeitzoff, 2017). The responses to these questions were measured on the scale of 1 to 8 and focused on making a general conclusion on how new media facilitates the spread of information by protest groups.
Control variables
The effects of news media on protest groups depend on other variables that may influence the rate of use of news media. Such variables were also considered in the research as they were believed to have a significant impact on how people use news media. For instance, protest groups usually have grievances that think the opponents should address. As a result, respondents had to site some instances where government officials made them angry and the channels they used to receive the information. Protest groups tend to have emotional feelings towards a government that does not address their needs.
People significantly affected by the new media need to show exclusive characteristics when it comes to news attention. The effect on this effect is reliance on other aspects such as resources availability, cultural and political values. These factors create a room for evaluating the existence of differences in ideologies and the decision people of particular groups are likely to takes. In effect, the research process considers aspects such as news consumption, political interests, and access to news media resources on the scale of 1-8 (Boyle, McLeod, & Armstrong, 2012). Accessibility to resources took into consideration various activities such as level of education because there is a connection between the rate of use of new media and skills required in accessing such resources.
Results
In response to the influence of newer media on protest groups, the results revealed that merely possessing new media platforms forms did not contribute to the engagement in protesting activities. These results hold in situations where there is no consideration of other variables capable of influencing how people use new media. However, taking into consideration, other variables such as news consumption, resources, cultural and political ideologies, 80.3% of the sample population revealed that new media platforms had a direct impact on their participation in protests (Boyle, McLeod, & Armstrong, 2012). This information indicates that news media increases the rate of civic engagement. In effect, access to news media and social media platforms such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter are positively correlated to protest participation thus increasing the ability of people to remain involved in expressing their political ideologies. The results show that this conclusion holds even in situations where researchers control other variables such as grievances, resources, political, and cultural values. Further analysis was applied in an attempt to understand the reason as to why newer media facilitates the rate of participation in protest groups.
The analysis revealed that news exposure through newer media creates a room for news exposure. As a result, new and social media platforms influence protest groups as a result of exposure and incidental news exposure thus increasing an opportunity for people to become aware of political, social or economic issues that need to be addressed. In effect, such people chose street protest as the only way for communicating such ideas (Valenzuela, 2013). The purpose of news consumption also becomes an area of interest for determining the manner in which people feel affected and influenced by information spread on media platforms. The general impact of newer media on protest groups is that it creates room for sharing information, thus expressing political interests thus contributing to protest participation by society members. The influence of new media on social is also dependent on activities such as the frequency of using social media. Participants recorded a high frequency of using new media were also likely to come across information that contributed to participation in political or social protests.
Discussion
The primary objective of this study was to analyze the various ways through which newer media contribute to protest participation. This approach has created a room for exploring the different ways in which new media platforms provide to the existence of protests in a society. In effect, the findings from the research identify various ways through which new media platforms contribute to the creation of fruitful demonstrations that are conducted in political or social contexts. General conclusions made from the research show that more modern media motivate and encourage people to participate in protests through the following ways.
Online News Consumption
The findings of the research show that news consumption is an essential avenue for creating a room for interpersonal, political discussion among users of social media. As a result, the media has become a way for ensuring that people receive information associated with failures and strengths in government functioning thus creating a room for expressing the ideas of the people in the society (Çelik, Gürbüz, & Turunç, 2013). Though the effects appear to be significant depending on the purpose of using the news media platforms, new technologies have created a room for unintentional exposure to news. As people scroll down the news media platforms, they become aware of information that may trigger their anger. In both circumstances, learning occurs that is likely to cause political actions. This information indicates that the increasing cases of protests happen because people have opportunities for learning about issues that may not be presented through the official or main media. As a result, new media has become an avenue for sharing information that could be applied in creating awareness about the issue to be handled to the public.
Political expression is considered to be part of political participation rather than a way for remaining focused on receiving ideas as formulated by political leaders. The central argument is that political expression is not similar to a legislative reception. This perception of political speech indicates that creating a room for political ideologies and giving ideas becomes a way of ensuring that there is a way for increasing the participation demonstrations (Gladwell, 2010). The increased participation in political protests assumes that there is a close tie between the explicit expression of opinion and protest behaviour demonstrated by the majority of people in social movements. For people to engage in a demonstration, it is evident that they need to have adequate knowledge about political ideas and reasons as to why they have to express ideas in political avenues. As a result, the more individuals have an opportunity for discussing political matters, the more they become vulnerable to participate in political activities, thus contributing to political protests.
New media platforms can be seen as an avenue through which people discuss politics and public affairs. The discussions held through the media creates a room for widespread sharing of information as well as creating an opportunity for people to present alternative frameworks for solving the problem (Bennett & Segerberg, 2012). In some cases, citizens learn about a political stance through mainstream social media and put it as a subject under discussion in social media. It is a way of creating civic engagement among citizens and the government. The structured information presented through the media technologies creates room for people to express their stance of a particular subject under discussion. People differing in ideas tend to remain grouped in a specific group, while those on the other side of the concept remain under one team. In effect, new technology media creates an opportunity for mobilizing people with similar views to participate in social media to participate in political protests.
The impact of newer media on protest groups also reveals through the presence of both elite and less privileged people in demonstrations. The results from the research indicate that use of modern communication technology creates a chance for ensuring that people increase chances for people to become involved in protests irrespective of the control variables that could affect the participation of individuals in demonstrations (Rohlinger & Earl, 2017). Level of education remains of the essential factors for determining the level of knowledge that people have regarding a political or social issue that needs to be discussed. New technology in communication has become a path for participation and inclusion by bringing many people to be political and not political debates. The difference between old and new media is that the former created information for only the elite and people spend significant time in recruiting people to participate in protests. However, new media has created space for ensuring discussion, thus creating a room for a study involving people from different categories in the social media platforms. The internet and new media create a place for citizens to play an active role in promoting democracy within the country. Though the new media does not provide important information on issues such as fixing democracy, it does not give immediate fixing of the problem. However, it permeates the involvement of people, thus promoting the establishment of mechanisms that citizens can apply in achieving their desire.
Online places provide a way through which people increase an opportunity for people to control and regulate the means of communication. Research reveals that technological advancements in contact, thus changing the culture of the political arena. Most of the participants told that they use digital media platforms with an objective getting in political activities. The political role of technological communication reveals through the increased spread of information through the internet draws the interest of masses. Social and digital media achieves this objective by acting as an avenue for developing the main agenda. As a result, people in different institutions create a chance for increasing an opportunity for sharing ideas with people with like minds. Social media is an essential aspect in terms of agenda-setting, and it promotes the spread of the information in meeting the interests in social increases a chance for drawing the benefits of the mass. People give opinions on the internet by discussing issues that are not likely to be presented in the main media (Gladwell, 2010). As they continue talking about, it becomes a subject for discussion. The issues are later taken up by other media platforms and afterwards influence the agenda of society. As a result, new media has become the most compelling approach to ensuring that people become aware of the mainstream list to be discussed. Selective exposure of information makes it possible for developed agenda to remain focused on the issue under discussion. In situations where they see some aspects of the discussion unimportant, they neglect such ideas, thus focusing on the main agenda. Selective exposure promotes the establishment of protest as people become aware of the ideas and interests for serving the interests of people.
Conclusion
New digital media is the central component of modern politics and activism. The effects of new media and access to the internet create a chance of having access to overt political activities. Though the rate of using social media varies depending on other variables such as education, cultural values, and political interests, people increase an opportunity for creating interests among people with similar ideas. Masses using new digital platforms are increasingly using the internet to spread ideas that generate the mainstream. Such information is useful in ensuring that people gain a collective argument, thus presenting the info in rallies, demonstrations, and protest groups. The increased level of interaction on digital media platforms provide means of communication, generating the mainstream topic and motivating people to become involved in demonstration to push for implementation of a particular policy. In some situations such as countries that have not developed full democracy, there is a possibility that people fail to receive communication through the use of official and traditional media. As a result, new media creates a chance for successfully conducting a demonstration.
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