THE CHALLENGES OF USING SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MEDIUM OF POLITICAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Social Media has been the most popular medium in the world for political communication across all political structures. Social media has become a platform for both political elites and the grassroots to communicate to citizens and the electorate in the constituency, even in the world of international politics. The main purpose of this research is to determine the challenges of social media as a medium of political communication. Social media is a vital tool to spread mass information, yet there are some leaders who do not use social media and do not even have any social media handle. As part of the study, the researcher will try to determine the reasons behind their decisions. 

The research findings will highlight the role social media play in modern political communication as well as the challenges faced by social media in political disinformation, false identity, fake news, internet-phobia and the influence of social media mangers/CEOs that undermine social media as a medium of political communication.