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The IUP Journal of International Relations

Understanding the Conceptual Framework of Political Socialization and Social Movements with Special Reference to Social Media

Article Details

Pub. Date	: April, 2022
Product Name	: The IUP Journal of International Relations
Product Type	: Article
Product Code	: IJIR050422
Author Name	: Mansi Mishra*
Availability	: YES
Subject/Domain	: Arts & Humanities
Download Format	: PDF Format
No. of Pages	: 10

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Abstract

The political system gains currency in a country through the process of political socialization. In plain terms, it is a process by which the general populace of a nation is informed about their immediate political environment and the generation of consciousness about the same. Among many others, media is one of the indispensable tools of political socialization and often acts as a window through which the citizenry looks at several political processes. Further, it is also a conspicuous fact that attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions are inculcated by the media, which determines both the effectiveness and outlook of the society. Thus, it becomes quite pertinent to understand the role of media in understanding the societal matrix. This paper attempts to analyze the inseparable relationship between mass media, with an emphasis on social media, and the process of political socialization.

Introduction

The level of political progress of a society lies in two things - political socialization and constitutionalism. These two largely determine how developed a nation's political culture is. Political socialization is the process through which a nation fully develops its political culture. India is considered as a country of developing political culture, which in turn depicts the low political socialization of the citizenry. However, in recent times due to the information revolution, this situation has changed and the level of political socialization has broadened to a greater extent. In this paper, the role of media as a socializing agent has been emphasized, while exploring its impact on the contemporary structure and functioning of social movements. Despite the alleged negative aspects of social media, it has surely enlarged the scope of information about politics to the general public. The use of social media by political leaders and parties to influence the public has made people feel more inclusive of the system. They found a means to get their thoughts to reach their leaders, organizations, or parties. This became a channel more direct than others between people and politics. With the emergence of social media, the traditional agents of political socializations