User:Noor Machtoub/Media democracy

Lead
Media democracy is a democratic approach to media studies that advocates for the reform of mass media to strengthen public service broadcasting and develop participation in alternative media and citizen journalism in order to create a mass media system that informs and empowers all members of society and enhances democratic values.

Media democracy is both a theory and a social movement. It is against concentration in the ownership of media, and it champions diversity of voices and perspectives within the news system.

Internet Media Democracy
Social networks are being utilized as a medium for political activity and other pressing issues such as social, environmental, and economic problems [ ]. Moreover, the utilization of the internet has allowed online users to participate in political discourse freely and increase their democratic presence online and in person. Users share information such as voting polls, dates, locations, and statistics, or information about protests and news that is not yet covered by the media.

Individuals who did not have the facility to access these social media platforms were still able to observe news through satellite channels and other people who were able to connect online.

The Romanian Election of 2014 [ ] serves as an example of internet media democracy. During the elections, many took to social media to voice their opinions and share pictures of themselves at polling centres all around the world. This 2014 election is remembered as the first time in which virtual ambition and the use of social media translated positively and directly onto polling numbers. Many Romanians were actively campaigning online through social media platforms, specifically, Facebook, "As more than 7 million Romanians have profiles on at least one social network and more than 70% of that one were active daily, the campaign was focused on the development of the civic participation through internet social networks."