Let’s boost democracy and human rights: the use of the social media and its impact on the venture of enhancing democracy and human rights in an era of social turbulence

Abstract

The use of the social media has seen an uprising the last few years. The outcome of their extensive use has been reflected in the Egyptian Revolution, the Occupy Movement, the case of WikiLeaks and the case of the Anonymous. Utilising the social media, one can see that there are multiple benefits for democracy and human rights. However, the disadvantages also have to be examined, since they show that it is not the social media itself that will make the change. To maximize the use of the social media and their beneficiary nature for human rights and democracy, there should be new policies. The appropriate use of the social media both by the citizens and by the governments is the key to enhance democracy.