Yet another Federal election is upon us here in Canada.  What is interesting to note is how our politicians are making use of social media.  One would think that the greatest democratizing technologies of our time would be a key element in modern democracy.  By and large, the candidates are using social media to run their campaigns, and I can see it becoming de rigueur from here on out.  Let’s have a look at why.

Firstly, we citizens don’t spend as much time with traditional media anymore.  Print media is on its way out, at least in its current incarnation.  We watch TV and listen to the radio via websites (and therefore can opt out of commercials), so a TV or radio ad that is actually on TV or radio is going to reach fewer people.  If a candidate fails to make social media part of their campaign, then their message will not get through.  Fortunately, all the major parties and their leaders have gotten the hint.

Here’s a look at who is using what, and how.

Secondly, social media is about more than migrating the campaign to the web.  It’s about a two-way flow of communication.  Both NDP leader Jack Layton and Green Party leader Elizabeth May host Twitter-based Q and A sessions for the public.  This is precisely what people are craving, after feeling disenchanted by traditional campaign ads filled with empty buzzwords.

Also, tweets from the actual party leaders (or at least from officials who represent them) feel more authentic.  When someone tweets under their own name, it implies accountability.  It’s harder to lie and sling the proverbial mud at the other candidates when you’re putting your own name out there.  Twitter encourages politicians to play fair.  It also doesn’t hurt that 140-character limits necessitate succinctness.

Thanks to Twitter, political ramblings and attacks are on the decrease.  Politics starts to feel a little like talking to a person.  Although we are a country plagued by voter apathy, social media could help convince us to care again.

Another feature of social media is that it works like a big group discussion rather than a private conversation.  We can discuss things immediately with other interested citizens, which leads to greater understanding.  If there is something about the election process or a particular party’s policy that you don’t quite “get,” someone will explain it to you within seconds of you posting your question.  And again, I refer back to our shamefully widespread voter apathy, and how social media may help us cure it.  Social media is part of our social lives.  If I didn’t care about politics, but I constantly read my friends’ opinions, I might take an interest just to see what was going on. 

What’s more, social media makes those who are unimpressed but still passionate feel less alone.  Petty attack ads can be depressing or angering, but its easier to laugh at the pathetic display when you have other people laughing with you.  For example, there was a Conservative ad found on a university campus that tried to get through to the young people by calling the Liberals “uncool” and using the phrase “getting jiggy with it.”    Within minutes of someone posting the photograph of that ad online, Twitter was all a-twitter with people making fun of it.  Be warned, politicians.  Your attack ads and stereotypical conceptions of the voting public will not be accepted anymore.

People are tired of attack ads and buzzwords, and want to hear some actual answers about how each candidate intends to tackle the problems at hand.  Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff makes good use of the Internet here.  The Liberal party’s entire platform is up on their website, in copious detail, and Ignatieff (or his ghost twitterer) is linking us to specific sections as the topics come up in the news.  I think this is working quite well.  Finally, we’re seeing real answers, delivered in manageable intervals when it is most relevant to do so.  I must admit, it’s nice to get what feels like a direct answer.

And while most the parties have their platforms outlined, at least to some degree, on their websites, there is one party that is getting a little bit extra creative.  If you go to the NDP’s website, the first screen you are met with is a signup sheet for RSS and email updates, plus links to their Twitter and Facebook.  It is only beyond that do you find their platform, background information, and media clips.  This is the only party that has gone as far as to put social media ahead of traditional media.  The other parties’ websites are essentially online versions of what they were doing before, with Twitter and Facebook integrated to varying degrees.  Perhaps the NDP’s strategy is the way to go.  This election is the first in Canadian history in which the NDP is faring better than the Liberals, and the only one where the NDP has a chance of, well, actually winning.  Is this due to their use of social media?  While there are several other factors in play, I wouldn’t rule it out. 

Social media is the way people keep in touch with one another.  If our political candidates want to get through to us, they’re going to have to adopt the same methods.  While I have not seen any blow-it-out-of-the-water ingenious uses of social media, I have seen some major mistakes.

The most famous example at the moment is that of the college students who were kicked out of a Conservative rally.  Two young people who care about politics (yes, we exist), decided to see for themselves what the candidates were all about.  They decided to attend a rally for each party.  After attending the Liberal rally, they posted a picture on their Facebook pages implying that they had done so.  Later on, at the rally for the Conservatives, it was determined by a misguided security officer that because the two youths had been in a photo with Ignatieff, that they were secret Liberal supporters only there to make trouble.  Their access passes were torn up and they were escorted from the premises.  Hey, you know how a lot of people might spread the news of that happening really fast?  Social media.

Misusing social media can hurt a candidate’s chances.  However, not using social media at all is just as bad.  Parties, party leaders, and local candidates need their online presence.  This election, being available to voters and getting them the information they need is putting those who do it well in an advantageous position.  Next time around, those who fail to keep up with the times will be forgotten entirely.  Social media won’t just be a better way to reach people.  It may be the only way to reach people.  Keep that in mind if you’re running for office.

Oh, and if you’re a Canadian citizen over the age of 18, make sure you vote this Monday.

-Tamara Hecht