Social Media's Effect on Democracy

Democracy: Weighing the Negatives and Positives

Iman Mustafa
500433590
11/14/2013

Democracy has set the standard for an ideal government today. Many nations today have achieved this glorified form of governing. Democracy in its own way is a procedural system, in by which the people set the steps and the government enforces them. This system consists of elections in which “representatives” are elected in all positions of government for a set period of time. During said time, they are obligated to fulfill and aid the public’s needs to the best of their ability. In today’s international community an image of good vs. evil has been painted to represent the nations which embody the democratic system good against those who don’t follow the system . Democracy in itself has become a very controversial topic in the sense that it’s not really a true representation of the citizens. The criticism towards democracy dates back to pre-Christ times, where Aristotle viewed democracy as something that is not for the greater good but as a gateway to the poor (who held majority) to take away from the wealthy. Moreover, there has become a growing trend within nations worldwide, mainly from African and South American origin, where governments claim to hold a democratic system. Yet in most cases these nations can only really be considered as an elected dictatorship, is much different from a true democracy. However, the criticism of the democracy lacks to triumph over the much more evident advantages that are a result of this governmental system. While there are many sides to democracy, it is evident that democracy is the best choice to government rule. Thus proving that the statement; “Democracy is the worst form of government ever invented ….except for all the rest” is accurate in its findings.

Democracy is the political system in which the power is within the citizens and they are allowed to elect the people they think are best to represent their views and beliefs. It has many advantages but the main advantage of direst democracy is that the citizens have a great sense of involvement with the decisions of the government and what the government’s initiatives are with the policy. In a democracy, the youth are educated. From birth they are taught that their voice matters and their vote counts. These are rights they must fight to maintain and will prosper from. No, democracies are not free of flaws; some say that there is no way that something as simple as a popular vote could null the evils of unlawful power or social inequality. These woes are valid, but democracy can work. There are still consequences to right wrongs, and laws to help keep peace and balance. There is a difference between freedom and chaos. Also, it allows the most important decisions to be driven by those who are not a part of the government and do not have much power with the decision making. Policy and the decisions are made with the awareness of the citizens in order to make the process as fair as possible. There are many positives with democracy; it can provide changes in the government without the use of violence. It can allow power to be easily transferred from one party to another through elections. The citizens are the ones determining who the ruling authority is. If citizens are not happy with their government, they can easily use democratic decisions in order for them to remove the government without the resort of violence. “By involving the population as a whole in governing, the interests and values of different parts of the population are more likely to be reflected in decisions than if decision making is left in the hands of a single individual or a particular group”(69).
Moreover, the government must compete against each other (parties) in order to gain authority due to the fact that most authorities are elected by the citizens. This is the best way to prevent any dictatorship authority where the citizens have no say. Such allows the citizens to feel obligated to be active with elections and with their nation. When an authority wins, they owe their winning to the citizens because they have chosen the best leader for their country. The citizens gain a sense of participation when choosing their government. They get the opportunity to voice their opinion by electoral votes. By providing political freedom, citizens can express their views, organize to influence the laws and policies of the government and have a free and informed choice of elections. They also feel the belongingness towards society which makes a more peaceful, and with much freedom society.
Without democracy, society suffers. In dictatorships there is no such thing as freedom of thought or creativity. A country cannot work well if others' opinions are not appreciated. With only one opinion adhered to, the country will be at a standstill. Each decision made with no consideration for those affected, and when every time the system overlooks another citizen, every personal right stolen causes more suffering for society. With such dictatorship the citizens will explode in anger and they will revolt. This has happened many times in history. Our own country was built from this frustration and the fight for freedom. Without democracy, we lack progress in thought, technology, and polices; society is halted.
While many can argue the positives to a democratic system, there are still many that believe that democracy is ruling out the minority. Aristotle viewed democracy as something that is not looking for the common good but as a way for the poor who are the majority to take away from the rich. “The majority is not always right and can easily be made ignorant and led astray, taken advantage of and/or destroyed by corrupt neocon power mongers.” Ordinary people will make bad decisions and it has been proven also, they will abuse the power. Democratic systems seems to be good when everything is alright but when there are tough decisions dictatorship is needed. The common masses may not be aware of the political issues in society. This can result in people making the wrong choices when electing people.
As the government is subject after every election term, the authorities may work with the short-term focus. Another disadvantage about democracy is that citizens can be easily influenced, making the majority. They can be compelled by the opinions of those around, a person may not use their own judgement when they are voting. Every form of government is bound to have some shortfalls, and people will always has different views about the different political system.

Coming to conclusion, democracy can be looked upon through many different views but as said in the quote, it is the best type of government which allows the citizens to be involved in decisions that are made for their society. Therefore, having different views can be a great influence to the democratic system, allowing people to freely voice their opinions.