.

Could Facebook make you president?

Share this post

Many strategies are been adopted by politicians and political parties to amass votes as the 2012 elections approach.

One such strategy which is likely to feature prominently in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections is the use of social media. Many politicians are now fond of spending long hours on facebook and twitter sending messages to party supporters.

The question, however, is how much will the new media impact on voters’ decisions in the upcoming general elections?

Though the traditional way of winning voters through mass media advertisements such as bill boards, television, radio and group communications such as rallies will definitely be used, a new addition which is vigorously being explored by politicians is the new social media platform. Political analysts claim Obama’s victory in the 2008 elections was partly due to the use of this platform.

Perhaps this has greatly inspired some politicians in Ghana to also follow his step as almost all the political parties have signed up to facebook, twitter or linkedin.

They mainly target the youth and discuss issues concerning their electoral programmes. The individual politicians use these accounts to interact with their supporters and sympathizers as well as addressing issues of public concern.  Many voters feel excited when their questions are answered by politicians.

For politicians this is cheaper and less stressful than the traditional way of campaigning. So will this kind of interaction win voters or mislead politicians into believing they have a large following?

As social media has proved to be an effective tool for socio-political change in many parts of the world, the 2012 elections promises to be more interesting as politicians begin to bring the battle for parliamentary seats from the streets to the internet.

By: Paul Anoma Kodieh, e.tv Ghana

Share this post

• < Prev
• Next >