Miller Explores Social Media’s Impact on Democracy
Manjari Chatterjee Miller, Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University, published an article in Hindustan Times on social media and its impact on global politics. This is the seventh of Miller’s monthly columns in Hindustan Times.
In the article, titled “The democratic dilemma posed by social media,” Miller discusses social media’s impact on the world and what the future might hold now that these platforms are so ubiquitous. From the Arab Spring to the January 6 attack on the United States Capitol, social media has played a huge role in connecting people and allowing them to share information as well as, unfortunately, falsehoods and conspiracy theories. While social media has allowed ordinary citizens to share ideas, mobilize social movements, and communicate directly with elected officials, Miller concludes with the troubling fact that the ability to silence millions of voices online lies in the hands of three men – Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Jack Dorsey of Twitter, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon.
An excerpt:
“Defending democracy” as Biden just vowed to do, is not so simple. On one hand, social media, by its inherent ability to democratize politics, created an insurrection that could have decapitated one of the branches of American government. On the other, the clampdown on social media that followed to control the violence, even though successful, was also deeply troubling.
The full article can be read online.
Manjari Chatterjee Miller is Associate Professor of International Relations at the Frederick S. Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University. She works on foreign policy and security issues with a focus on South and East Asia. Her most recent book, Routledge Handbook of China–India Relations (Routledge & CRC Press, 2020), is the comprehensive guide to the Chinese-Indian relationship covering expansive ideas ranging from the historical relationship to current disputes to AI. Learn more about her on her Pardee School faculty profile.