What are the sources of your political beliefs - Essay Example

I always believe that there is a strong sense of value when one is engaged with political conversations. It is my stand that having the appropriate information of the subject matter will always pave the way for a meaningful understanding at one’s end. Therefore, it is my point that the advancement of communication channels today is a very important source of information primarily in building up the individual’s political beliefs. Furthermore, it is my belief that the environment plays a crucial role on one’s way of life and actual mind set.

Here where I believe race and religion at some point, could be essential factors that could help us explain why a person behaves the way he does. The work at hand therefore considers the media, race and religion as significant sources of political beliefs, primarily of the proponent. Societal modernization is said to shape political culture. I agree with this point. It is a common trend from the past that people acquire substantial learning about politics and government from television and newspapers.

There is a great influence that these media brought to the people’s level of knowledge and belief concerning their existing political culture. Today, the same trend goes on, but there is already inclusion of modern communication system by the aid of cutting-edge communication gadgets. With mobile communication devices that readily connect to one of the most dynamic sources of information today, the internet, people have the ability to connect with the latest political information in the world from almost everywhere.

Let us add to the list the coming to life of social networking platforms like Facebook and Twitter that also have significant impact on how an individual may socialize and readily connect to different tribes and tongues around the world. These social networking programs have important contribution to how political information may be imparted from one person to another. These platforms provide the opportunity for everyone to express their opinion on the subject matter, allowing others to react and also direct their point of views.

Eventually, social networking activities create an environment that at some point may be conducive for substantial learning and expounding of one’s opinions or ideas. Through these, people may potentially acquire the appropriate matter or the so desired information prior to understanding the whole political point of views. Let us take the case for instance of how someone might agree with the political thought linked to the issue of same-sex marriage in the US. There are various groups trying to showcase certain level of advocacy for the legalization of same-sex marriage.

These groups have the opportunity to express themselves by establishing networks of friends on the social networking platforms. Here is where everyone has the opportunity to jump right in and engage in a two-way conversation process that provides the occasion to strengthen their prevailing political stand on the issue at hand. There may be disagreements along the way, but the entire process is expected to result to something by which people may have to stick on a clear perspective of the subject matter and stand still on their conviction.

This only illustrates the idea that the modern media have the great chance to keep everyone highly involved in political-related matters, as these could be the very sources of their political beliefs. This thought is supported by the recent research studies emphasizing that media exposure provides impact in “shaping the public’s political knowledge, attitudes and behavior” (Innovations for Poverty Action). However, these studies may have significant limitation, which is the linked overestimation of the impacts of media influence as far as people’s pre-existing views is concerned.

Here where my second point comes in. The second point is that my personal upbringing coming from my external environment provides the opportunity f