 Social media has a range of uses in political processes and activities.Social media have been championed as allowing anyone with an Internet connection to become a content creator and empowering their users.The role of social media in democratizing media participation, which proponents herald as ushering in a new era of participatory democracy, with all users able to contribute news and comments, may fall short of the ideals, given that many often follow like-minded individuals, as noted by Philip Pond and Jeff Lewis.