Before voting, students must be taught to question their social media feed
This article discusses the necessity of teaching students to critically evaluate social media content before voting. It highlights how political parties use digital platforms to influence young voters and argues that colleges should foster political literacy.
Why it matters
As social media becomes the primary source of political information for youth, media literacy is essential to prevent manipulation and ensure informed democratic participation.
Over 50 years ago, American fighter pilot and military strategist John Boyd invented the OODA loop—Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act. Warfare inspired the idea, which is unexpectedly relevant to social media politics today.
Boyd believed that humans observe and “orient” before making a decision. Orientation matters. We interpret what we observe using our past experiences, beliefs, assumptions, and knowledge.
This thesis presents a critical question for young Indian voters today: What happens when someone influences our view of an issue before we decide?
As political parties and their strategy teams seek to use social media today to attract young voters, the role of universities and educators of all hues can be a fascinating subject of study.
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