Should Politicians Engage in Web 2.0?
Locally in Australia and internationally, enabling a seemingly closer connection between individuals and politicians is perhaps the greatest change that the use of social media in politics has brought on. This connection is utilised both by individuals to rally politicians for changes and by politicians to present themselves on a more personal level to gain votes.
When I was in primary school, I recall one weekend visiting a nearby high school with my mum and dad - it was federal election day. As we walked past the crowds of people campaigning for the various political parties outside the entrance to the school gym, I asked my parents who they were planning on voting for. I also decided to give my opinion and as I was a kid, the person I suggested they should give their vote to was just the face I had seen the most on TV. Now with Web 2.0 available, politicians with less financial backing have a stronger ability to reach a large audience and become a known face that would not have been accessible to them through traditional media outlets.
Social media can be a very a powerful tool for politicians if it is used in a successfully engaging way. For example, in 2007, Kevin Rudd and his team created the Kevin07 campaign utilising a website, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace and this captivated Australian voters under the age of 35 (Ward 2008, p. 12). This campaign still continues to be referenced as a leap forward in the use of new media in politics (Chen & Walsh 2010, p. 47). Following this campaign, many politicians began to join social networking sites in 2009, however most were unable to embrace the new media fully and retreated as members of the public started to use the platform to communicate to the politicians how they felt about them (Jericho 2013, p. 255).
On the other hand, a poor history on social media can have the opposite effect and create a negative reputation of someone who decides to go into politics. Speaking to a group of high school students in 2009, Barack Obama advised them "be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life" (The Sydney Morning Herald 2009). This is entirely true for anyone and even more so for public figures who have their every move scrutinised. It is a shame that this might continue deterring politicians from engaging in social media because it is much easier for some members of the community to get in contact through social networks rather than by sending an email or a letter. I hope this changes sooner rather later to grow the interest of the generation when it comes to politics.
Chen, P.J & Walsh, L 2010, ‘E-Election 2007? Political Competition Online’, Australian Cultural History, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 47 - 54.
Jericho, G 2013, 'How many votes are there on Twitter?', in The Rise of the Fifth Estate,Scribe, Victoria, pp. 254 - 278.
The Sydney Morning Herald 2009, 'Barack Obama is… warning about 'stupid' Facebook posts', The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 September, viewed 13 April 2018, <https://www.smh.com.au/technology/barack-obama-is-warning-about-stupid-facebook-posts-20090909-fg93.html>.
Ward, I 2008, ‘Kevin07. Labor’s pitch to Generation YouTube’, Social Alternatives, vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 11 - 15.
