Politics in the Age of Social Media.
Nowadays, politics in Bangladesh does not only mean meetings and processions, now it has largely taken the form of screen politics. Especially since the beginning of 2025, especially after August 5, the political atmosphere of the country has changed a lot. After the change of government, many things have entered a new dimension, and that change has had a lot of impact on our social media.
Earlier, we knew the political situation of the country by opening newspapers or watching TV, but now? Now, just by opening Facebook, we can understand where what is happening, whose statement is going viral, who is being protested against, or where students are protesting. For those of us who are working and lead busy lives, social media is now the easiest window to politics.
The recent political discussion about Dr. Yunus, the way people have expressed their opinions around his arrival, shows how vocal the people of the country are now. Some are for him, some are against him, but everyone is expressing their opinions. And social media has become the center of this discussion and criticism.
The various activities of the previous government, especially corruption, administrative complications, or issues like disappearances and murders, often did not come up in the mainstream media or, even if they did, many things were cut out. But now people are uploading videos themselves, coming live and speaking, and expressing their opinions through posts. As a result, news from remote areas of the country is now reaching millions of people instantly.
We have first learned about student politics and recent student movements in particular—be it the issue of age of employment or the quota reform movement—from social media. The statements of the protesters, police attacks, the pain of tear gas in the eyes of students—we have seen it all in videos, read about it in posts, witnessed it live. We may not have seen these incidents before, but now every citizen is a journalist.
One big truth among all this is that social media has now made our politics more mass-oriented. Common people are now thinking about politics, giving opinions, and asking questions. But this is where the issue of responsibility comes in. Because, many times, rumors or misinformation spread, increasing political division. Some people intentionally try to create chaos by spreading fake news.
However, what I personally think is that social media is no longer just a place to see "what is happening", but also an opportunity to understand "why it is happening". If we use this medium responsibly, it can be a tool for true democracy.
The government should not suppress this medium but rather create a controlled and safe platform where people can freely express their opinions, and cannot spread rumors or misinformation. And we, the people, should watch, think, and verify and form opinions.
In today's political world, we are all conscious citizens. Our Facebook posts, our comments, our shares—all are now part of politics. If we understand this truth, we can become not just spectators, but participants, and we can build a better society for the future.