Not all Canadians use social media, nor can a candidate be sure they are engaging their own constituency members. Yet, candidates of all political stripes have been flocking to social media in this federal election campaign to create an online social media presence for themselves. Some candidates haven't had a Twitter or Facebook account before, but in this social media election candidates are going online to woo voters, because every vote counts.
Campaigning is about getting your message out, so an online presence seems critical in this digital age. Certainly for an avid political junkie like me, I love the fact that I can check out Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, blogs, on line chats and get instantaneous media coverage on candidates and the parties. But is social media really helping candidates connect with voters?
Social media gurus will tell you that the true strength of social media is the online conversation built on online interactions. That conversation is carefully built over time. Yet, the hectic pace of campaigning certainly makes it challenging for a candidate to be checking Facebook or Twitter constantly. If they are new to social media, it takes time to learn how to engage with followers to build that authentic conversation. Candidates who are relying on campaign staff to tweet or post are pushing out their message, but are not necessarily engaging in a conversation with voters.
On the other hand, the instant nature of social media and the resulting ability to communicate quickly and directly with your fans or followers is a powerful tool for candidates wishing to respond to campaign developments.
As with any conversation, a real dialogue happens with an exchange of ideas. Complex policy discussions can't happen in 140 characters. The challenge for candidates is to balance their need to get their message out with the casual conversational nature of social media.
