I know we shouldn’t do politics here, but this isn’t a look at policies, rather a look at the role of media in the Election…so technically that’s OK!
I went to an event last month, The IT Election. Panelists including Will Straw and Alberto Nardelli, CEO of Tweetminister, along with some MP’s discussed whether this election was going to be influenced as much as the US Election by the web and social media. The conclusion from the MP’s was, unsurprisingly, yes and no. Great!
What the live TV debates have shown is that, while it may not be the ‘IT’ Election, it is certainly showing signs of following the growing trend of successful social communication tactics. An article in the Timesonline, talks about how the public are not responding to the spin and old media tactics still being deployed by the parties as their main media weapons.
The World has changed in the last four years and I think social media is no small contributor to this. There have never been so much information, free information, the ability for anyone to publish or document their opinion. Coupled with this, has been the deterioration of trust in MP’s and corporate spin and PR, plus the popular media exposure to 18-24yr olds has made a big difference in the polls, these are the people who don’t read newspapers and aren’t impressed with slogans on billboards!
The reason Nick Clegg won the first debate was simple,
“he used straightforward language, not the processed verbal pabulum that we have come to associate with politics.” – How often in social media have we heard the same advice, be human, talk like you would with your mates, don’t broadcast? Clegg, himself, seems to ‘get it’,
“When voters hear a prepacked phrase, they brace for a lie; when they hear a slogan, they assume insincerity. The branding is not working because the entire product is contaminated. In this election, whenever the politicians have tried to chivvy voters with manufactured maxims, they have been met with mockery.”
Exactly, people are too used to the old media social conditioning and they now seem to be rewarding social interaction. Voters are consumers of politics and consumers have become immune to advertising, slogans, messaging and spin. They will reward sincerity, straight talking and not old PR-style communications.
It (probably) won’t be enough to win the election but its still good to see!
