Does social media promote or undermine democracy?

Social media is, like the traditional media forms of newspaper and radio, a platform where one can share one’s own views. At first glance, it seems like this would allow democracy to flourish as everyone can express their opinions. However, these opinions are more often than not left unheard due to the corporatism of our society. For example, it is now a known fact that advertisers and large news firms can pay Google to ensure that its results appear first when searching for products or information, even though this may not be what the user is searching for. Despite this, more often than not that is the product which gets bought as the other results get buried, making it less convenient to search for them. This allows the big corporate giants like Newscorp to accumulate wealth by silencing the competition. If one considers democracy to include fair and equal trade, one of the most praised aspects of capitalism, then social media does not promote democracy.

Furthermore, a recent Netflix documentary titled ‘The Social Dilemma’ revealed that the algorithms used by tech giants like Facebook and Twitter are highly controlled and are easily transformed into a tool of polarisation. These companies make money based on how many clicks their ads or certain posts on their sites receive, so the more a user engages with the platform the more money the company makes. So, the algorithm detects what individual users are clicking on and ensures that their home page is filled with similar posts, ensuring higher engagement as the user finds their interests are being catered to.

The issue with this is highly evident in American politics, which was already incredibly divisive for decades before the invention of social media. If a right-wing person clicks on a post involving Republican policies, the algorithm will ensure that more ‘right-wing’ posts appear on their feed, and it’s the same for a left-wing person engaging with Democrat-positive content. This means that the two sides rarely interact which can allow either side to become radicalised due to a lack of debate, instead being kept in an ‘echo chamber’ where everyone agrees with one another.

This is not democracy. The reason why this is not democracy is because a true democracy allows different ideas to flourish in an environment of debate and education. Without this, any time there is an interaction between the two sides it is usually negative and sometimes even volatile as each group denounces and demonises the ideas of the other, meaning that the only environment where one can express one’s own opinion is in an echo chamber, easily allowing for radicalisation.

To conclude, social media is not a tool of democracy as opinions can only be expressed in an echo chamber and it stifles fair trade due to the influence of massive corporations.

What would winning a Crowd Scholar scholarship mean to you?

As an Irish Traveller woman, the odds have been stacked against me- my family believe women shouldn’t pursue an education, with my parents pressuring me to abscond school at age 14; we barely had enough money to buy the school essentials I needed to attend, so summer schools and extracurricular activities seemed out of the question; and for years I have struggled with my mental health.

But thanks to the support of my school, I have persevered time and time again in order to ensure I succeed. I stayed late every single day to ensure that my studies would not be interrupted by chores at home; I listened to podcasts and watched lectures to go beyond my subjects; and I took advantage of the free opportunities offered to me, such as a scholarship for the renowned Oxford Scholastica summer school programme.

Winning this scholarship would allow me to ensure that no woman in my community is held back by outdated gender roles and is allowed to achieve her dream career if she perseveres, even if the odds are stacked against her. My gratitude for this scholarship would be visible in my determination to pursue my goal of becoming a successful barrister, regardless of the barriers in my way.

Head of Sixth Form, Wheatley Park School:

I am writing this reference as Bridget’s Head of Sixth Form and have known her for around 5 years.

Donna is an outstanding individual whose hunger for knowledge and determination to succeed is deeply impressive. She is an Irish Traveller and this commitment to achieve is worthy of enormous respect and admiration. In her community, she has already, and will continue for a long time to make unprecedented progress. In recognition of this, the school named a trophy after her to be awarded to pupils who show sheer determination and excellence. At GCSE, her 4 grade 9’s put her in the top 6 of the year group out of 170. This summer her AS Centre Assessed Grades ranked her number 1 in both History and Media and number 2 in English Literature. She was one of only 4 students, out of 94, who got straight As at AS. She has just been offered a place to read Law at Oxford University. She will be the first person in her community to go to university, having already been the first to stay onto school for A levels. She is entitled to Free School Meals, is Pupil Premium and is also a young carer for her siblings.

Donna is a highly conscientious and thoughtful student of literature. She is an avid reader, devouring books from a range of genres and periods, and has relished engaging with texts in different ways and extending her understanding and ideas about what literature is and how it can be read. In class discussion, Donna willingly expresses her ideas and suggestions with clarity and conviction. Donna writes with precision about texts, identifying details and connecting them skilfully to wider concepts and themes. Donna has very high expectations of herself and her work. She reflects effectively on her strengths and weaknesses and is always prepared to make changes to bring about further improvement.

Donna is an outstanding Media Studies student who is a joy to work with. She has engaged with all aspects of the course at a highly sophisticated level, demonstrating her knowledge and interest in the media environment and academic theoretical ideas. She often leads class discussions in an astute and articulate manner. She works incredibly hard, all of her tasks both written and practical have been produced to excellent standards, often above and beyond expectations. Donna has proven herself to be self-motivated, dedicated and an effective independent learner.

Donna's tenacious diligence and drive to improve will make Donna an excellent student of law and this funding will be of enormous benefit.