Pluralism also requires the patience to listen
The media are also a tool and a channel through which we can influence things ourselves and gain our own audience. From the point of view of democracy, this is both an opportunity and a threat. The point at which the scale tips depends on each of us as media users.
The content on social media is based on various algorithms whose changing logics pick out content for us. Social media emphasises differentiation from others, which increases the impact of various cognitive biasesand accelerates the spread of disinformation. We hear talk about social media outrage: Research showsthat social media algorithms favour strong reactions – and negative ones in particular. The most contagious emotion on social media is anger.
Media pluralism is critical for democracy, but social media outrage can reduce the desire to participate in public joint discourse. The solution to social media outrage is to take a timeout between when you feel something and when you act on it; reflect on your own reactions and have the patience to listen to others even when you disagree. In addition to freedom of expression, we should also talk about responsibility in expression. Freedom of expression cannot override other fundamental rights.
Video: The media is a tool and a channel of influence for Extinction Rebellion Finland
Social media is an effective tool for bringing like-minded people together, but even in a hybrid media environment, access to the front pages of traditional news media and news broadcasts is the goal of influencers. Media attention has a significant impact on how, for example, Extinction Rebellion Finland can draw attention to its goals and influence people’s opinions and behaviour.
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Slideshow: The counterbalance to freedom of expression is responsibility in expression
- Social media both supports and endangers democracy
- We all wield power on social media
- Freedom of expression does not prevail over other fundamental rights
In-depth text on which the slideshow is based
Essay: The ideal and reality of the public sphere
Independent task 3.1: Have you got any info? How do you know?
Team task 3.2 (3–4 people): This needs to change
S3 Task slides
Precise sources for teaching media influencing methods
Information and tools for change-makers
Through the media, it is possible to influence social discourse in various ways – even decision-making. The guide prepared by News Media Finland contains ten practical tips on how to use the media as a tool of influence. Although there has been increasing public debate in recent years on social media and other online platforms, opinion pieces published on major media outlets still bear a lot of weight.
You can contact the editorial teams directly by offering tips on articles. Many newspapers have forms on their websites for this purpose. A good press release, on the other hand, works with the logic of a news article. The Finnish News Agency STT has compiled instructions for writing a good press release. A more extensive guide to writing a media release and a press release template are also available for download on the website.
The internet and social media are a continuum that already started with Gutenberg
Media influence is not just a phenomenon of the age of social media. Sitra’s publication Mediavälitetty yhteiskunnallinen vaikuttaminen does not forget to mention Greta Thunberg, but it also acknowledges the impact of Gutenberg and the development of the telegraph network on societies. Social media and the internet are described as part of a continuum in which the elites’ ability to control public discourse has decreased and there is a new situation at hand for the development of democracy: definitely an opportunity, but also a set of open questions to be resolved together.