VIEW FROM THE CPA SMALL BRANCHES CHAIRPERSON
THE CHALLENGES OF UTILISING NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR SMALLEST DEMOCRACIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH View from the CPA Small Branches Chairperson Social media has been defined as a series of Legislatures, small and large, cannot ignore online platforms, albeit a website or application, this transformation. Although at the forefront that allows people to engage in multi-directional of the maintenance of democratic societies, communication and share information on Parliament, through its often cumbersome and the internet. Its unprecedented levels of characteristically historic working processes, has interactivity, enabling multiple people to connect not always been the harbinger of technological instantaneously regardless of where they are innovation. However, since the advent of in the world, marks a stark departure from the social media, Parliament and Parliamentarians traditional, one-directional, media of decades, have made progress integrating its usage into and centuries, gone by, such as newspapers and their activities – from political messaging on magazines, radio and television. Interaction on individual Member’s personal Twitter handles Chairperson of the CPA social media has now become the norm for large to the streaming of parliamentary sittings on Small Branches, Hon. Niki swathes of the global population – Facebook, many Parliaments’ official Facebook pages. The Rattle, Speaker of the the world’s largest social media platform, boasts benefits of this connectivity, not least the opening Parliament of the Cook over 1.5 billion users worldwide – causing up of the democratic process through little more Islands nothing short of an information revolution and than the click of a few buttons, are undeniable. upending the previous domination held by those But with the benefits, the spread of social media traditional custodians of information exchange. brings an equal number of challenges which This upheaval has brought both tremendous opportunities are revealing novel and exacerbating pre-existing threats to the and challenges to modern societies, which will only intensify democratic process. These effects have initiated countermeasures as technology advances at a near exponential rate and as and forced legislatures to adapt and improve their own working governments struggle to keep pace with relevant regulation and practices but also the governance of their respective jurisdictions. legislation needed to check technology and social media’s march. These contestations should provide Commonwealth Legislatures The growth of social media and the concurrent technological with lessons and food for thought as we power further into the revolution has and will touch every corner of the global community; information age. the institution of Parliament is no exception. Commonwealth In any democratic country, the integrity of the electoral process is reliant upon a system that integrates established or nascent democratic norms, societal values affirming notions of right and wrong, and a robust administrative and legal framework. However, “For every challenge, however, social through the spread of disinformation accelerated by social media, media, and by extension, digital innovation, these underpinnings have been strained. Many charges by different countries of misinformation being used to influence electoral has come with as many opportunities outcomes, fundamentally compromises the rights of voters to a fair and benefits for Parliaments, particularly process. Misinformation is defined as false or inaccurate information, especially that which is deliberately intended to deceive - it should during the current COVID-19 crisis. The CPA be stressed, however, that this is not a new phenomenon brought Headquarters Secretariat has recorded about through social media. Those previously mentioned media and mediums have long been guilty of propagating evidence of the positive use of social media industries misinformation; or what can also be characterised as ‘fake news’. and technology in implementing initiatives What is new, however, is the scope and speed at which social media can create, foster and spread misinformation. The case of foreign and strengthening relationships with its interference in the US Presidential Elections in 2016, whereby membership, in-spite of the restrictions Facebook was used to target misinformation to millions of American would-be voters, is perhaps the highest-profile example of recent
brought about due to the pandemic.”
290 | The Parliamentarian | 2020: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing 1920-2020
