3. Politics, Public Policy + Social Media

Public policy

Key concepts

________________- is the term used to describe laws, funding decisions, and regulations drafted and voted into existence by elected officials— how society is crafted, and our social existence is predicated on the decisions made by politicians in this way. 

• Public money collected through taxes is used to fund projects, social programs, and enforce regulations

• The goals and outcomes of public policy can be influenced by stakeholders (i.e. the voters, businesses, special interest groups, politicians’ personal interests, etc.), and the decisions are made based on what is most likely to pass into law with the least amount of backlash from the most important stakeholder in the process

• Example:

  • What are the reasons for the below decisions? How do they impact your life? What would be different in your life if the opposite decision had been made? What is the reason that the decision was made? Who benefitted from the decision? Who lost out because of the decision?

  • The choice to exclude dental care from universal healthcare in Canada.

  • The choice to not implement a universal basic income in Canada.

Spin (revisited)

Key concepts

__________________ - can be applied to the influence of political agendas on public perception through the media – public who ultimately vote for political parties and push for lobbying support on certain issues.

• Think back to the last module: how is a particular idea presented? What is the agenda behind it? Now consider the political gains that could be made from the push of a particular agenda: Who benefits? What are the political impacts of a particular law or public policy? What are the economic impacts? Social impacts?

Broaden the scope beyond just the representation of a certain idea in the media, and consider the ways in which a particular idea may impact the social environment, and it will help to analyze the ways in which that idea is initially presented, and spun, in the media.

• As always, power is a very important concept to carry through all of these concept.

• Example:

  • Universal basic income: is it lazy people who want free money? Is it communism? Is it an equitable distribution of societal wealth? Who gains, and who loses?

Research + research institutes

Key concepts

________________ - Often, important decisions and the push of a particular agenda through the media will be linked to results from relevant research. However, if we incorporate our understanding of the concepts of power and agenda, we can once again critically think about how such research may be influenced.

If a research institute, for example, is funded by a particular interest group, such as a major corporation or a conservative public lobbying organization, the research developed may be biased to serve the particular agenda of those funding the research.

Further, consider news reporting, and how certain issues are presented. If statistics or research from the example above are presented on an important issue in the news, is the whole story accurately represented to the public?

• When research is used to push a particular agenda, it’s important to critically examine where the research comes from and how it may be influenced and used.

• Example:

  • Who funds policy institutes? What types of research do they do? Which side of the political spectrum do they seem to represent? If you search them on Google, what information do you find vs. the information presented on their own website?

    • Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

    • Fraser Institute

    • Heritage Foundation

Lobbying

Key concepts

________________ - the push to influence decision and policy making in government— it can take the form of groups of concerned citizens such as targeted advocacy groups, local and/or national organizations, and associations/groups of individuals from corporations, lawmakers/legislators, or members of private industry.

• Some professional _______ organizations also exist, hired on behalf of a corporation or interest group, for example, to try and influence legislation on behalf of their employer(s).

• While this is seen on a major scale primarily in the United States, many of these groups and organizations exist in Canada, officially and unofficially, both in the corporate/private and public spheres.

  • Lobbyists in Canada are hired representatives who present the ideas and decisions of groups, businesses, and individuals to government representatives in an effort to influence public policy. 

• Example:

  • What are the ______ activities of the below groups? Who do they represent? What are their goals, and who benefits?

Social media

Key concepts

________________ - refers to any technological platform that allows users to connect, share and exchange information through virtual networks.

• Example:

  • Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Reddit, and LinkedIn.

Public/private spheres

Key concepts

________________ - the age of social media bridges the gap between the public and private spheres, connecting people everyday in ways that may not have happened in the not too distant past.

• The private sphere, traditionally the part of social life that is separate from the public, often including home, family, and intimate relationships, all of which are usually separate from the public sphere, which includes work, politics, and broader social connections.

In the age of social media, any divide between the two is gone, as the private becomes public and our personal lives gain as much attention and analysis as social issues and the news.

• Example:

  • Private = home, family, romantic relations

  • Public = work, politics

Citizen journalism

Key concepts (the new age of news reporting)

________________ - With the rise of the Internet and the explosion of popularity many social media sites have experienced, we’ve seen a major increase in this and independent reporting of major news events, particularly through sites such as Reddit and Twitter.

Now, both citizen journalists and credible news sources rely heavily on social media to report stories, and gauge public opinion on the issues.

Credibility (revisited)

Key concepts

________________ - This concept is two-fold; on one hand, news from what may be considered a non-credible source, such as a community member live-tweeting a dangerous event, may be seen as less than reliable as it does not come from an established news source.

On the other hand, citizen journalism through social media could also be seen as a challenge to established news sources that may not be presenting the whole story.

• Why do some believe citizens tweeting about an event, while others disregard their information for what they see reported on CNN? Why is this so important when it comes to the dissemination of knowledge and information?

Social media vs. an informed public

_______________ - The massive increase in social media platforms over the last few years has truly consumed much of our current social world— while they can certainly seem harmless and even mindless at times, social media actually carry just as much power as major media sources, and as such still carry with them the proponents of the Propaganda Model, and the new reality of high-speed news reporting and information sharing.

(What does this mean for how we learn about current events? What effect does this have on us?)

Algorithms designed to keep social media users engaged track users’ behaviour and feed them more content that conforms to their interests:

• If you like five photos on a chef’s Instagram feed, Instagram will assume you’re interested in food photos, and will recommend more similar content, as an active and engaged user is necessary to their platform.

• The same is true of news sources on Google. If you consistently click the link to a story from CTV, Google assumes you want to see CTV coverage of news before any other coverage, making it the first link when you search for a news story.

  • How do you think this affects the content that you see? As the platforms learn more about you, they’re able to feed you more and more specifically targeted content, creating an echo chamber of content and users with similar opinions and interests to you.

Lobbying examples

Key concepts (lobbying)

________________ - What are the ______ activities of the below groups? Who do they represent? What are their goals, and who benefits?

• Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers →

  • Lobbies for oil + gas industry growth, weaker environmental regulations, and government subsidies.

  • Represents mostly large, often foreign-owned energy companies, aiming to boost profits and influence policy—often at the expense of stronger climate action and public input.

• Climate Action Network Canada →

  • Lobbies for strong, just climate policies.

  • Represents diverse groups—environmental, Indigenous, labor, and more—working to ensure climate action is equitable, science-based, and inclusive

• Fossil Fuel companies (Vox article: How to spot the tricks Big Oil uses to subvert action on climate change)

  • Fund climate denial, promote ineffective solutions, spread misinfo, and lobby against climate policies such as reducing emissions

Alienation

Key concepts (public/private spheres)

________________ - generally refers to a breakdown of social relationships and connections, leaving one feeling isolated from other individuals in society.

Some scholars have suggested that the breakdown of social barriers between public and private have both enhanced social connections, but also created a sense of this.

• Some researchers have argued that regardless of our many online connections, the decrease in real human interaction may be actually creating high levels of alienation among those with constant social media use.

• This concept is one that has been explored by many social theorists, including Marx and Durkheim.