REFLECTION BEFORE PUBLISHING POLITICAL MESSAGES ON SOCIAL MEDIA: APPLYING PRINCIPLES FOR RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN COMMUNICATION

Abstract

This academic article aims to explain and analyze the process of citizens’ deliberation prior to the dissemination of political messages on social media by integrating political science perspectives with Buddhist principles. The objective is to propose a framework for responsible political communication within the context of contemporary democratic society. The article examines the role of social media as a political space that shapes citizens’ perceptions, decision-making, and political expression, and analyzes key problems of political communication arising from fake news, misinformation, emotionally driven communication, and conflict-generating discourses. The study employs conceptual analysis and synthesis, combining political theory with Buddhist teachings in order to develop a normative framework for regulating political communication in the digital public sphere. The findings indicate that while politics on social media expands opportunities for political participation, it simultaneously creates conditions that facilitate distorted perceptions and the amplification of political emotions. The article proposes the integration of mindfulness (sati), clear awareness (sampajañña), and right speech (sammā-vācā) as an ethical and practical framework for citizens’ deliberation before disseminating political messages. Mindfulness enables individuals to recognize emotional impulses and the persuasive power of political content; clear awareness fosters consideration of the social consequences of communication; and right speech guides modes of political expression toward constructive dialogue and respect for differences. The article further argues that deliberation prior to disseminating political messages should not be viewed merely as an individual moral responsibility, but as an ongoing process of cultivation operating under the structural constraints of digital platforms. Such a process is essential for enhancing the quality of political communication and sustaining democratic values in the digital age.