Social media must not turn into a political weapon

According to a latest report, titled “Digital 2025: Bangladesh” published by DataReportal - Bangladesh registered some 60 million active social media users at the beginning of 2025, representing 34.3 percent of the country's population. Internet users reached 77.7 million, or 44.5 percent of the population. Moreover, the report mentioned that the number of social media users increased by 13.3 percent compared to 2024.

Our political parties are increasingly depending on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, WhatsApp and Telegram to communicate with voters, promote policies and shape public opinion. Compared to traditional campaign tools such as rallies, posters and leaflets, social media provides a faster and more interactive means of communication. 

However, digitalisation of politics has many positive aspects. It enables political parties to reach citizens instantly, encourages greater public participation and gives young people a stronger voice in domestic affairs. 

The point, however, political narratives today often compete not on the strength of facts but on their ability to attract attention and go viral. Misleading posts, edited videos, fabricated images, fake accounts and coordinated campaigns can influence public opinion within minutes. Moreover, growing usage of artificial intelligence has further complicated the situation, enabling the creation of convincing deep-fakes and AI-generated content that blur the line between truth and falsehood.

As reflected in recent discussions among political leaders and analysts, accusations of organised propaganda have become commonplace. Different political parties continue to blame one another for using social media to spread misleading information and manipulate public perception. 

Whether these allegations are justified or not, they reveal a troubling reality: Negative or misleading propaganda has become an integral part of digital political competition. If this trend continues unchecked, social media risks becoming a platform where misinformation will overwhelm facts and emotion will replace reason.

Nevertheless, the antidote to propaganda is not censorship but verification. Every social media user has a responsibility to verify information before sharing it. In particular, political content should be doubly cross-checked with credible news organisations, official statements and reliable fact-checking platforms. Users should resist forwarding sensational claims simply because they reinforce personal or political beliefs. A society that values truth cannot allow misinformation to spread unchecked through careless online behaviour.

Political parties must also recognise that propaganda may deliver short-term political gains but inflicts long-term damage on democratic institutions. Concurrently, technology companies should update and strengthen existing mechanisms to identify fake accounts, curb coordinated disinformation campaigns and improve transparency in political advertising while protecting legitimate freedom of expression.

Undeniably social media is a powerful platform for shaping political opinion, but at the same time we must collectively ensure by engaging all stakeholders that this social platform is not in many manner abused or misused by spreading fake and misguiding propaganda by our political parties.