Use Of Social Media During Election

A fair and free election forms cornerstone of democracy, but when the elections are swayed by rumours, misinformation and fake news, they are unlikely to contribute to democratic nation building.  The Election Commission Nepal has repeatedly been warning against the abuse of social media and has strongly prohibited the people from spreading disinformation, hate speech and smear campaign targeting particular parties and candidates. 

 As the country is set for elections to the House of Representatives (HoR) and Provincial Assemblies on November 20, it is natural to have a close look at how ever-pervasive social media impact the voting pattern. 

In order to garner the support of voters, the political parties and candidates are utilising Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and TikTok to the hilt. They are posting their promotional materials that include videos, slogans, songs, manifestoes, and messages on the social sites. Social sites have helped candidates circulate their ideas and receive feedback from the public, especially of the target groups. 

Skilful use of social media enables even a dark horse to pull off a sensational win as seen in the victory of Balendra Shah as Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City in the local polls held in May this year. He won the election without the backing of established organisations and big budget. This is a reason why candidates vying for seats in the House of Representatives and Provincial Assemblies have resorted to the social media campaign to tip poll scales in their favour. 

Increased internet access 

Nowadays, the people’s access to internet and mobile phones has increased significantly. As the people of all age-group carry smartphones, they get news and information instantly through their gadgets. Those who have no access to internet gather information about the parties and candidates through radio, TV and newspapers. To influence the voters, candidates these days also conduct research on Facebook in which an option button ‘I voted’ is shown along with a message that highlights the names of their friends who have already voted for the particular candidates. This sort of technique is effective to convince the voters compared to the mere display of informational message. Social media is persuasive, and has been catalytic to influence or form public opinion when it comes to political views because of the abundance of ideas, thoughts, and opinions circulating through various social sites. It spreads misinformation, manipulates the innocent netizens and polarises society. 

 Social media expert Ujjwal Acharya admits that the social media has both positive and negative impacts on the elections. “On the positive side, the voters can listen to the view of candidates, and get voter education and essential information about election while staying at home. At the same time, it circulates false information and negative illusion about the polls. However, I believe it has more positive impact than negative,” he says. However, media expert Kundan Aryal does not agree that social media can change the public opinion on topics hotly debated in the social sites. He states, “Social media alone does not help in building public opinion in election. The elements of personality of public figures and their impact on the society also matter largely.” Aryal adds that social media is a powerful medium of promotion but some people use it only for entertainment purpose.

Before 2016, the power of social media was not much exploited to the benefit of parties and their candidates in elections. Pew Research Centre stated that Barack Obama harnessed social media in his first presidential campaign to rally a majority of voters and win the 2008 election. According to the Centre for Responsive Politics, former US President Donald Trump was quick to consistently voice his self-promotional and critical analysis of certain figures on Twitter during the 2016 US Presidential election. 

“It was evident to see that all of these previous tweet dimensions soon shifted to a more targeted and baseless approach in order to seek the most interaction online throughout the 2020 Presidential election.”  However, in the long run, these negative connotations and lack of evidence soon proved to dampen Trump’s appeal to the nation, leaving the door open for Joe Biden to come and take victory, it asserted.

Challenges 

In Nepal, the Election Commission is pulling its weight to minimise the negative impact of social media ahead of polls slated for Sunday.  EC spokesperson Shaligram Sharma Paudel says that social media is highly effective medium of communication between the candidates and voters but the EC is facing challenges in monitoring it. “We have also conveyed our message via social media urging the people to refrain from spreading misinformation, abusive and threatening language against particular candidates,” he adds.

The parties and candidates are making optimal use of online communication platforms to gain support of the voters. They have facilitated the candidates and voters to directly engage in meaningful communication.  Candidates have spent a huge amount of money on social media campaign. Online campaigning can be just as hurtful as it is helpful. 

Heavy online campaigning can change perception of voters, thereby bringing unexpected poll outcomes. Voters struggle to find a common ground that encourages genuine human communication as the parties mobilise media to their advantage. 

It is only with the constructive use of social media that elections can be held in an impartial and fear-less manner and healthy political competition is enhanced.

 (Neupane is a programme producer and presenter at Nepal Television.)