2007 was most probably the first prominent use of social media in a federal election campaign.
The ALP used it to great effect, in the middle of the year they launched their YouTube channel with this uplifting number. Though it bypasses the traditional gatekeepers for multimedia messaging at the time, it still could pass as a long television advertisement
The Libs were involved also, in a more awkward way.
(Let's try and not re-run the 2007 Election please)
At the time MySpace (!) were launching a new political initiative best explained in this article and to a lesser extent in this video. Frankly I don't know how successful that initiative was given 2007 was just before they realised the light at the end of the tunnel was the Facebook train coming to mow them all down.
But social media in the political context was framed as a electronic continuation of the town hall debate, and used to increase engagement between political parties and candidates. Discussions that would be facilitated and curated with political parties and groups.
Now the most fervent action in the social media political space is people-to-people, not between people and political parties. Twitter, and the back-and-forward that happens in certain hashtags, and on Facebook which is much the same thing except people feel more than free to put their real name behind the views they hold. It seems to be a lot of passionate agreement between people who hold very similar views, and very passionate, sometimes heated debate between people who hold opposing views. To be politically engaged enough to be active in these forums of debate suggests a person who strongly holds political positions and views that are not for turning.
Be that as it may maybe, does political social media move the needle? Or is it just a bunch of people that will never change their views?
The ALP used it to great effect, in the middle of the year they launched their YouTube channel with this uplifting number. Though it bypasses the traditional gatekeepers for multimedia messaging at the time, it still could pass as a long television advertisement
The Libs were involved also, in a more awkward way.
(Let's try and not re-run the 2007 Election please)
At the time MySpace (!) were launching a new political initiative best explained in this article and to a lesser extent in this video. Frankly I don't know how successful that initiative was given 2007 was just before they realised the light at the end of the tunnel was the Facebook train coming to mow them all down.
But social media in the political context was framed as a electronic continuation of the town hall debate, and used to increase engagement between political parties and candidates. Discussions that would be facilitated and curated with political parties and groups.
Now the most fervent action in the social media political space is people-to-people, not between people and political parties. Twitter, and the back-and-forward that happens in certain hashtags, and on Facebook which is much the same thing except people feel more than free to put their real name behind the views they hold. It seems to be a lot of passionate agreement between people who hold very similar views, and very passionate, sometimes heated debate between people who hold opposing views. To be politically engaged enough to be active in these forums of debate suggests a person who strongly holds political positions and views that are not for turning.
Be that as it may maybe, does political social media move the needle? Or is it just a bunch of people that will never change their views?
