Flickrs, twitters and Facebooks

Posted by cwaddell under Election 2008, Election 2008 Student articles

Dan Robson

Harper Flickrs, Dion Twitters, and Layton posts on Facebook. 

The heavy hitters of Canadian politics have tapped into the immensely popular world of online social networking, and are hoping to ride cyberspace to the ballot box this October. 

Just two years ago, during the 2006 election, social networking websites were unfamiliar territory to Canada’s political parties.

The high-appeal websites like Facebook, My Space, and You Tube were rapidly consuming the high school and college markets—but were a foreign language in the land of the politicalpolitics. 

Now it seems every major party is attempting to make use of the social networking phenomenon.  Currently the main website for the Tories, Liberals, NDP, and Greens all have direct links to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, and a host of other popular social networking sites. 

“The parties are desperate to make sure they are getting their communication out to as many people as possible, in as many different ways as possible,” said Dr. Ira Wagman, a mass communications professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.  

If done right, there may be good reason for candidates to take their campaigns to cyberspace. Though it can also backfire.

When Jack Layton lined up with Stephen Harper to veto Elizabeth May’s participation in the leaders’ debate, his Facebook page filled up with protests, many by people claiming to be New Democrats. Those Facebook posts were widely cited by the so-called mainstream media in illustrating the pressure Layton was under to relent, as he soon did.

Meanwhile the Conservatives’ innovative Dion attack site, notaleader.ca, has become barely functional after a pooping puffin incident last week. 

Of Canadians over 18 years old, 70 per cent use Facebook and 56 per cent regularly surf You Tube, a comScore poll revealed this summer. 

And when the bracket is narrowed to ages 18 to 24—a group notorious for voter apathy—the numbers increase to 88 per cent for Facebook and 76 per cent for You Tube.

The voter market, it seems, has become increasingly digital. 

In the United States, Barrack Obama has been highly regarded for promoting his brand online. He has over a million Facebook friends, pop stars creating powerful music videos on You Tube, and he even sends text messages to his supporters. 

Obama has become a social networking product, and his viral popularity amongst youthful voters may owe a lot to his cyberspace campaigning.

However, according to comScore, social networking sites like Facebook and You Tube are actually less popular in the U.S. then they are in Canada. 

Their online polling of Americans over the age of 18 suggests that only 21 per cent use Facebook, while just 35 per cent use You Tube. 

Between the ages of 18 and 24, the numbers increase to 38 per cent for Facebook and 46 per cent for You Tube—but still remain significantly less than their Canuck counterparts. 

So it seems that Canadians are actually more plugged into the online social universe than our neighbors—and thus even more accessible through the networks of the web. But at this point it’s yet to be seen if social networking will have any effect on the outcome of this election. 

“Because these things are so new, we are still trying to figure out what it all means,” said Wagman. “These sorts of things allow for new kinds of articulation, so it does allow for new types of engagement. But whether that translates into effect at the ballot box—I don’t know.”

In cyberspace a down to earth, sweater-wearing Stephen Harper will be your Facebook buddy. You can check out his photos on Flickr, and even watch his Corner Gas cameo on You Tube. 

Suddenly Harper becomes the schoolmate you’re snickering with in the back row, while a nerdy Stéphane Dion presents his Green Shift science project to the class. 

The same is true for the other leaders. Jack Layton’s your pal, Elizabeth May’s your buddy, and Stéphane Dion is trying to be your friend. All are willing to let you view their photos, post on their wall, and share videos that mock the other candidates. 

But the problem is that, for the most part, these online social networks tend to draw a rather partisan crowd.  

“The way websites have been used by political parties have been more like electronic bulletin boards,” said Dr. Jonathan Rose, a political communications specialist at Queen’s University in Kingston.  

Facebook allows for instant feeds and targeted messages, creating a valuable source of communication for party supporters, said Rose. “So I think rather than increasing members, it’s useful for mobilizing members.” 

But with the way these groups have been recruiting online, it’s not likely they will draw in a great deal of new virtual support, said Rose.

Rose said most parties’ online campaigns have been uninspiring. 

“They have not exploited the full potential in terms of fundraising, in terms of interactivity, or in terms of engagement as those south of the border.”

So while Obama is dynamically tapping into the web’s promoting power by creating a brand that people are drawn to, Canadian politicians are gathering in their schoolyard cliques and sharing a giggle behind the bleachers at recess.

Dan Robson is a Master of Journalism student at Carleton University School fo Journalism and Communication