Understanding Democracy
Democracy is the system of government in which the people of the nation are allowed to take an active role in their government by electing the leaders that they believe can best present their interest in society. Over the years, many nations have worked towards the establishment of democracy since it has been deemed to be the kind of government in which national development, as well as the protection of the rights of the citizens, is paramount. Ideally, most of the democratic nations have proven to be effective in terms of managing their governing systems as well as promoting their economic development. Similar to other forms of government that are present, democracy has its doctrines that guide its operations in the nation. The citizens under a democratic government have specific responsibility that the government expects from them just as they expect the democratic government to take an active role in fulfilling its requirements. An in-depth evaluation of the nature of the democratic government and assessment of the responsibilities of the citizens towards a democratic government can aid in a better understanding of the type of government.
One of the primary responsibilities of the citizens in any democracy is to take part in the government by taking part in the voting process. Ideally, democracy is all about the citizens getting the chance to participate in their government. Notably, it is the responsibility of the citizens to participate in the voting process and other aspects of elections that might come unplanned. If the citizens select their leaders, they will not only be exercising their rights, but they will also be expressing the fact that they believe in the ability of this specific leader to take care of their grievances. “Citizens vote for their government officials, and these officials represent the concerns and ideas of the citizens in government” (1). Since voting is the primary way through which citizens take part in a democracy, there are specific requirements for a person to be an eligible voter in the US. Notably, power is an essential aspect of democracy, and that is why there is a need to set strict requirements that give a person the chance to vote. To begin with, a person must have attained the age of eighteen before the person can be allowed to vote. Since power is something that many people will do everything to have, the people of the US have to be citizens of the nation either by birth, citizenship, or naturalization. Voting should also be a free and fair one, and the citizens must have the proper knowledge of their voting rights so that they do not get duped into selecting the leaders that they will regret in the future.
Similarly, the citizens of the US are expected to serve in a Jury. The judiciary is a branch of government that holds power to either limit or grant the freedom of a person. As such, the citizens in a democratic government in the 21st century are expected to take part in the jury. There is the need to give the judge and the citizens the satisfaction that justice was served and that the final ruling that was made by the jury and the judge was the best action to be taken concerning the issue at hand (USCIS). Other than contributing to the decision, rather the outcome of the trail at the courtroom, there is the option of the jury to see how the judicial system of the government is run and determine if the criminals or the people who find themselves in the presence of the courtroom are in right hands and are served justice. Additionally, the government expects the citizens to take an active role in building the economy, and this includes the process of looking for employment and contributing to the development of the nation by ensuring their tax compliance as well as protecting and conserving the environment (USCIS). Ideally, nation-building can only be effective with the funds that are collected from the taxes that citizens give. It is, therefore, the responsibility of every citizen to pay their taxes, and in most nations, failing to pay taxes is considered a crime that punishable by the law.
As much as it is not a must to teach the citizens of democracy the need and importance of civic engagement for them to participate actively, it is important to continually remind them of the importance of taking part in the engagement so that they can contribute to building the nation. Education is always the most effective way of ensuring that people are actively involved in the activities of society. This is because, through education, somewhat enlightening, and the citizens gain the knowledge and understanding of the importance of taking part in the civic activities of the nation (Wolterstorff). Taking youths, for instance, enlightening them on the importance of civic engagement, is one of the most effective ways of luring them, instead of encouraging them to participate actively. Through educating the public on the importance of taking active roles in the activities of the nation gives them the reason to join forces with the rest of the communities and work towards establishing a better and stable government. Research has pointed out that after education, the number of citizens who take part in the civic activates of the nation continue to rise. The article on the Youth Government supports that “According to the 2006 National Civic and Political Health Survey, seven percent of 15- to 25-year-old Americans participated in 10 or more community engagement or political activities within the previous year”. Notably, the rate of civic engagement in the activates of the nation continues to rise, and this can be attributed to educating these people. The effectiveness of the system cannot be directly pinned on training the citizens before they can work effectively. Arguably, these systems have been working all through since some of the citizens have been taking part. Even so, educating the citizens gives them a feeling of responsibility, and they practice patriotism when they understand the need for participating in civic engagements.
The evolution of social media and the internet is considered a good thing, and at the same time, it is a danger to democracy. Ideally, the essence of democracy is to give the citizens the freedom for political expression, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and in a democracy, the voters are well informed. The internet, primarily through social media, is curtailing the efforts and the roles of democracy. One of the most common ways through which social media and its environs are impacting on the ability of the citizens to enjoy their democratic rights is through allowing the mass surveillance that can be through these sites (Shin). This effort of the government is a step towards the violation of the freedom of expression through speech, media, or even music. Ideally, the citizen of a democracy, such as the US has the right to speak freely without any interference or any control from the government. Lawson explains that “While authoritarian countries continued their slide in internet freedom, with China ranked as “the world’s worst abuser of internet freedom for the fourth consecutive year,” the United States was also among those countries that saw a decline in internet freedom”. Social media has given governments such as that of China, the chance to pry into the private lives of the citizens and, by doing so, violate their freedom. Most of the data that are collected from the internet are stored in the cloud, and the government has more than once taken the liberty of going through them, especially during terror attacks and gotten information from these sites about a person.
Moreover, some of the American political operatives are taking advantage of the social media surveillance systems to encourage the citizens to vote them into the government indirectly. Research has pointed out that several citizens have found messages on their phones as well as their social media platforms to support an individual campaign or vote a particular leader, and they will get better leadership. As much as some people will argue that it is a form of campaign, it is not done according to the book, and this presents the impression of maliciousness and the violation of the right of the citizens to exercise their voting without the influence of anyone (Shin). According to researchers, the current state of social media manipulation is a new evolution of authoritarianism. The research that has been conducted in this effect reveals that over forty-eight nations are guilty of manipulation of the elections and campaigns through the internet, mainly social media sites. Propaganda is the most common way through which these leaders are manipulating the elections and campaigns. Since most of the people in contemporary society are all about social media, the people believe all the details they get from these sites and this information influence their decision towards the candidate they select. This is a violation of democracy since these people might end up electing a leader that they do not approve of and live in regrets for the term of the leader. To a certain extent, the manipulations of social media are making the citizens lose faith in their government, and this explains why most of them are not taking part in the civic activities of the nation.
Furthermore, the press is yet another body that is affected by the manipulation of authoritative institutions such as the government in social media platforms. Ideally, the fact that most of the data and information that is retrieved from these platforms are diluted by propaganda and most are manipulated to fit the desires of specific people, it is difficult to tell real and genuine news from propaganda, and this threatens the credibility of the press (Wolterstorff). The press has the right to convey news without any influence from anybody of authority. The internet, through social media sites, is impacting on the ability of the press to exercise its freedom of expression without an already existing audience that has been fed lies and manipulated information. This makes it impossible for the media to seem credible since its news is also mixed within the numerous floating ideas and propagandas that has the truth buried in them (Wolterstorff). Notably, a society that lacks the privilege of the press, or correct information is that which is considered a failed nation. Knowledge is power, and so is information. In the recent past, there have been government influenced actions that have impacted negatively on society, and yet they are mainly propagated by social media. For instance, in 2019, protests in Hong Kong were primarily propelled by the propaganda that these citizens had seen on social media platforms, particularly Facebook.
Conclusively, the citizens have the right to take an active role in the civic activities of the nation. Ideally, a democratic society gives these people a chance not only to take part in the selection of their leaders but also to enjoy various freedoms. Since a democratic government is usually involved in the protection of the rights of the citizens, the people have the responsibility of reciprocating by voting, taking part in the jury, and paying their taxes. Ideally, the citizens of a democracy are mainly associated with the art of participating in civic activities when they are educated about the importance or not. It has come to the attention of many researchers that the introduction of technology, particularly the social media platforms, is impacting on the ability of nations to establish democracy effectively. Due to manipulations by various governments and political personnel, exercising democracy has been next to impossible, and this has raised questions about the ability of democracy ever to reign.
Works Cited
Lawson, Sean. “Evidence Mounts of Social Media’s Negative Impacts For Democracy.” Forbes, 7 Nov. 2019.
Shin, Doh Chull. “Popular understanding of Democracy.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. 2017.
USCIS. “Participating in a Democracy.” file:///Users/apple/Downloads/Intermediate_RightsandResponsibilities_handouts.pdf. Accessed 21 June 2020.
Wolterstorff, Nicholas. Understanding liberal democracy: Essays in political philosophy. Oxford University Press, 2012.
Youth Government. “Civic Engagement.” Youth Government, youth.gov/youth-topics/civic-engagement-and-volunteering. Accessed 21 June 2020.