IF
there is one thing that is inseparable in the current political scenario it is politics and social media. With the introduction of various social media platforms such as facebook,twitter,whatsapp there has been no limits to promotions and online campaigns throughout the country.Not only in our country but the entire world has shifted from the conventional door to door election campaigns to the more resilient and versatile online election campaign.When comparing these two on a scale,the number of people who campaign through social media outweighs the other conventional methods by a huge amount.This is mainly due to the ease of conveying information to a huge amount of people in a very short time in the most convenient way.Affordable smartphones and computers have become very popular in the sense that the average age of a kid who uses tech gadgets have drastically shot down over the years.Knowledge is there for the taking in the present scenario in such a way that kids who study in primary schools are well equipped to use a basic smartphone.They even know some of the major political figures and events happening around them.Gone are those days of trivial involvement of the people in political events.Online campaigning has paved way for active involvement of majority of the people in politics.It will not be surprising if there is a culmination of in person voting.Already discussions are going on even to make voting online,the only challenge being cyber security and related adversities which continue to be a roadblock for even the developed countries of the world.
When it comes to social media platforms it has been proven time and time again that messages or tweets conveyed from pages of famous politicians have created a lasting impact on the political scenarios of various countries.Politicians nowadays have huge numbers following them on platforms such as twitter and facebook.The so called followers or fans when addressed informally are automatically running campaigns for them in an informal way.Such has been the impact of online election campaigns.There are various ways in which social media can be used for election campaigns.
1.Engaging the public via live videos
Each and every contesting party has official accounts in various platforms such as facebook,twitter,instagram ets. All these platforms are equipped with the so called feature called live telecast which enables politicians to interact and share information with his/her followers.With the introduction of COVID-19 normal election campaigns have been dusted of the surface of our planet and replaced with online election campaigns which has ensured the continuity of election campaigns.Rather than just talk at potential voters live video further encourages both meaningful and personable conversations.
2.Campaigning the right way
A fact check before each online election campaign would be the right way to show that the potential candidates for whom the campaign is being held are responsible and dedicated to the empowerment and welfare of the people.If by any chance the facts go wrongs it’s going to spread like wildfire in social media.The damage caused can be so severe that there won’t be a resurrection in the coming decade or so.This is one of the drawbacks of online election campaigns as it has infinite reach.
3.Choosing the right platform for online campaigns
Twitter and facebook are the go to places for online election campaigns as these two have the most number of active users.Since these two are the most popular media used for online campaigning nowadays,the above statement makes perfect sense.Involving in new generation media like snapchat and tiktok have also been on the rise recently.But engagement in baby platforms can deter your progress of meaningful campaigning due to its limited reach.
4.Online fundraising
Facebook is no stranger to online fundraising and advertisements.Political ads are no exception.Online fundraising has become central to every election campaign in the past few years.Requests for donations via secure links has become the new normal in securing funds.Secure links are being provided in the bio section of candidates or maybe as a pinned post in their dedicated social media pages.Social media should not be used as a place to spam donation messages.Instead it should be strategically used alongside relevant news content and other informational posts.
5.Dealing with online criticisms and trolls
With the advent of online election campaigns, trolls and criticisms are also seen in almost all the social media platforms.Trolls have even crossed the line to an extent such that social media platforms themselves have to put certain limitations in content framing.It should be noted that any sort of incitement which causes political disorder and privacy infringement must be completely avoided by all the parties and campaigners.Trolls and campaigns have become two sides of a coin in a sense that there isn’t one without the other. As a side note bear in mind that public officials are not authorised to block any people on facebook.So in case of negative comments and trolls it’s best to just scroll or avoid them.Discussions and debates are going on about the extent to which social media can be used for criticisms and trolls.In case of inappropriate comments or content it is always advisable to be civil about it and to report it to the appropriate authorities or the social media platform community members to take relevant action.
6.Asking questions or suggestions through social media
Asking questions always boosts engagement on social media.Questions can be asked through instagram and facebook via posts and stories.It shows that the person is willing to lend his ears to listen to the community.It also enables to publish more thoughtful responses from the voters side and can be used as a reference in the future.Daily engagement and visual content sharing can prove to be a bargain when it comes to online election campaigning.
Understanding what to post and when can be crucial when it comes to empowering your online election campaign since there are a lot of things going on in the world of social media.The ultimate goal of any online campaign should be to involve the voters in it and to impart them with sufficient knowledge about the party or person to whom they are going to cast their vote for with the belief that the proposed candidate would be willing to go that extra mile for the welfare of the people.
