Fed 10 Meets Media

The new age of social media and internet sharing has totally transformed the American democracy, but the concept of factions Madison develops in the Federalist Papers still holds some truths of both the inevitability of factions and of the struggles present in keeping them under control.

The contemporary news and information spreading scene is one that can be really beneficial and shows great progress in reaching not only more people, but especially much more fairly reaches all different types of people. The span of the internet is unprecedented and continues to grow, yet this d international cross-boundary virtual communication space can sow just as much division as it can unite.

Two large examples of ways social networking and modern media get problematic is with celebrity/big name influencers on social platforms and the distrust/question-ability of contemporary modern news. Social media is a platform that gives celebrities the central dais while the educated (or average citizens even) take a backseat. Although, it has its advantages and isn't always restrictive of those that have fame, the inherent design has flaws in reinforcing societal conventions of power concentration. Also, President Trump's fear-mongering and scape-goat methods of his "fake news" tirade create a difficult situation that uses the inaccuracies/issues present in American media outlets to categorically discredit information he doesn't approve of. This improper characterization of the media, I believe, somewhat overshadows the legitimate claim that there is a credibility issue with even mainstream media, and the grey area that exists when trying to find an objective lens on the world around you.

As discussed in famous works of science fiction, this modern scene has a dangerous capacity to degenerate into a more abominable thing, yet I believe that despite its faults it overall is a positive for the time being and reinforces Madison's concepts about a connected large republic and factions.