Social Media and the Election

The election is definitely over and we already have our winners but I won’t be talking about the loss of my candidate for councillor who should have won.

The recently concluded election saw a variety of campaign styles from candidates running for different positions. Many candidates in my ward used the expertise of campaign operatives to ensure that they were able to communicate their messages to their audiences. Candidates in my ward used posters, brochures and lawn signs, and just a few of them used social media (Facebook and Twitter) to further expand their campaign strategies.

I think that the use of social media by a few of the candidates in my ward was effective in a sense that there was an exchange of messages happening as well as ‘conversations’ between candidates and their constituents.

My candidate used social media effectively in a way that he exchanged conversations with the voters. Aside from his virtual presence on Facebook, I appreciated the fact that my candidate for councillor visited all residents in my street during the campaign period (Talk about the effectiveness of interpersonal communication!). When he dropped by my house to talk to me about his agenda and of course, introduce himself as a candidate running for councillor, I was very impressed with his people skills (and his wits, too); I said to myself, “This is the guy who should represent my ward.”

Just like in any ‘major’ decisions in life, I treated the election seriously. I made some research on my candidates online by looking at their websites, Facebook pages, etc. and even bothered reading the newspapers and printed materials given out. My candidate for one prompted interest among voters to talk about issues concerning our ward—I think that this was a great and honest move made by my candidate and to find out as well what the residents thought about certain issues was a definite plus.

How many candidates out there who ran for public office (including those who just won) really took the time to ‘listen’ to their constituents? I am in a way disappointed that the candidate who just won the councillor seat in my ward didn’t even bother to pay his constituents a visit during the campaign period nor even bothered to ‘engage’ himself through an exchange of discussion or conversation (either in person or even through social media—if he ever used one which I doubt).

The use of social media as an election campaign tool is very effective. Not only is it a way for the candidate to promote himself but it’s a good way to engage with your voters. I think that replies coming from people through social media are valuable feedbacks that can be assessed or evaluated. Information once gathered and evaluated can help a candidate re-formulate his agenda or plans once in office. This information can be useful too, in a way that it can give a candidate a reflection on how the voters really feel towards his campaign or a certain issue.

I guess that to talk about whether social media really does increase one’s chances of winning is yet another topic to blog about.