SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARLIAMENTARY DEMOCRACY: A VIEW FROM PAKISTAN
DOES SOCIAL MEDIA BRIDGE THE GAP BETWEEN PARLIAMENT AND THE PEOPLE IN PAKISTAN? Can social media rightly be called a ‘game changer’ in bridging the gap between Parliament and the people in Pakistan?
Ms Nighat Paristan is Deputy
Director of the Research Wing at the National Assembly of Pakistan.
Social media has revolutionised the modus operandi of parliamentary business and is making strides in promoting public participation in decision making process. In budding democracies, Parliaments are relatively latecomers to the world of social media, but with the passage of time, Parliaments have established their foothold in the digital space, otherwise known as the “vulnerable space for formal political institutions.” In democratic structures, social media is considered as an effective tool for encouraging ‘social participatory governance’. Social media users are challenging administrative norms and structures and dictating political discourse around the world. Political changes, such as those in the Middle East since 2010, can indeed be seen as a direct result of the use of social media, and are a veritable ‘Facebook Revolution’. During the past decade, social media has started playing a key role in circulating news through digital platforms, beyond national borders, across social, cultural and political niches. Social media has not only raised the visibility of Parliaments considerably but has also started working as pressure group on the workings of the Parliament and the performance of Parliamentarians. This has resulted in making political processes more democratic,
transparent and participatory. Professor Tim Unwin in his paper, ‘Social Media and Democracy: Critical Reflections’1 categorised the prospect provided by digital platforms as sharing liberty, space time liberty and access liberty, which is dramatically changing the contour of public accessibility to their MPs. Social media is challenging the traditional pattern of politics as an important forum of communication. Moreover, it is a disseminator of information and facilitator of political discussions. The Parliament of Pakistan has already started to establish itself in the digital space, to reap the benefits of the accessibility provided by the social media in the changing political spectrum. Citizen journalism is on the rise in Pakistan. Youngsters are turning towards the internet and local citizen journalism portals and independent blogs to express their opinions. Traditionally, the work of Parliament might have been reported through media commentary; however, due to the wide range of social media platforms available today, Honourable Members of Parliament are tweeting and posting comments to social networks direct from the Chamber and Committee rooms, as and when events unfold, which is helping in mobilizing people around a particular cause or legislation.
316 | The Parliamentarian | 2020: Issue Four | 100 years of publishing 1920-2020
The passage of the Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act, 2020 in the Parliament of Pakistan is a recent example of social media activism and its role in strengthening the legislative process. Accessibility and transparency on social media The Parliament of Pakistan has made advances in facilitating online accessibility. Digital platforms have made Parliament and its Members more transparent and accessible. Through social media, the public can directly follow different political viewpoints on a debate and in some cases, directly contribute by communicating with Members of Parliament in ‘real time’. Due to the easy accessibility of
“In democratic structures, social media is considered as an effective tool for encouraging ‘social participatory governance’. Social media users are challenging administrative norms and structures and dictating political discourse around the world.”
