POLITICAL GAMES: Election 2013 turns into a digital battlefield
Sunday, April 07, 2013
By Amar Guriro
KARACHI: Several mainstream political parties, in a battle for digital supremacy, are fighting the upcoming general election with tweets, hashtags, Facebook updates and emails.
A majority of them, instead of campaigning their own party manifesto, are using social media to defame other parties, or to indulge in character assassination of the opponent party leadership.
Some of the major reasons for the increasing popularity of social media sites are certain restrictions on mass level campaigning by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), increased advertisement rates for roadside billboards, newspapers and television.
Many parties have constituted social media teams or have hired the services of information technology (IT) and social media experts for this purpose, thinking that social media is the fastest way to attract voters.
Supporters and party leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP) and PML-Q are the most active on social media.
The PTI, MQM and PML-N even have social media wings. Moreover, party leaders and even chairpersons and presidents of these parties use their personal accounts to send direct messages.
Attractive graphic messages, jokes and funny pictures based on political activities, personalities and their statements are made by these social media teams and are circulated to gain maximum support of the people in favor of their party or to defame the opponents.
The social media user then circulates these graphics, photos, videos and funny messages on their accounts.
As compared to the 2008 election, the number of social media users has increased in Pakistan. According to the data on the use of social media, Pakistan is ranked 27th in global Facebook users, with about 8.6 million users, while a similar number is also present on Twitter.
"Most of the political parties are using social media not for their political campaigning but for the defamation of other parties and their leadership, which is very negative," said an active Facebook user Pawan Kumar Garg. He said that people have their own political ideologies, which can't be changed by such online campaigns.
However, another user Sultan Ahmed thinks that political campaigns over Facebook have great impact, and can change the minds of many.
Another avid Facebook user Zafar Kumar, from Moro, a town in Sindh said that campaigning on social media will make no difference, as political parties are not offering anything on these sites. "Voters have already decided whom to vote, and others like me, will not go for voting, therefore social media has no impact on elections," said Kumar.
Some of the people think that majority of the Facebook users belong to small towns, where education rate is very low and people only use social media for fun, therefore, online campaigning will have no affect. Also in these areas votes are given on community basis, or are reserved for the local influential, so everyone already knows who will win the election.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Tawba Astaghfwar, May Allah forgive me.
Sunday, April 07, 2013
By Amar Guriro
KARACHI: Several mainstream political parties, in a battle for digital supremacy, are fighting the upcoming general election with tweets, hashtags, Facebook updates and emails.
A majority of them, instead of campaigning their own party manifesto, are using social media to defame other parties, or to indulge in character assassination of the opponent party leadership.
Some of the major reasons for the increasing popularity of social media sites are certain restrictions on mass level campaigning by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), increased advertisement rates for roadside billboards, newspapers and television.
Many parties have constituted social media teams or have hired the services of information technology (IT) and social media experts for this purpose, thinking that social media is the fastest way to attract voters.
Supporters and party leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Awami National Party (ANP) and PML-Q are the most active on social media.
The PTI, MQM and PML-N even have social media wings. Moreover, party leaders and even chairpersons and presidents of these parties use their personal accounts to send direct messages.
Attractive graphic messages, jokes and funny pictures based on political activities, personalities and their statements are made by these social media teams and are circulated to gain maximum support of the people in favor of their party or to defame the opponents.
The social media user then circulates these graphics, photos, videos and funny messages on their accounts.
As compared to the 2008 election, the number of social media users has increased in Pakistan. According to the data on the use of social media, Pakistan is ranked 27th in global Facebook users, with about 8.6 million users, while a similar number is also present on Twitter.
"Most of the political parties are using social media not for their political campaigning but for the defamation of other parties and their leadership, which is very negative," said an active Facebook user Pawan Kumar Garg. He said that people have their own political ideologies, which can't be changed by such online campaigns.
However, another user Sultan Ahmed thinks that political campaigns over Facebook have great impact, and can change the minds of many.
Another avid Facebook user Zafar Kumar, from Moro, a town in Sindh said that campaigning on social media will make no difference, as political parties are not offering anything on these sites. "Voters have already decided whom to vote, and others like me, will not go for voting, therefore social media has no impact on elections," said Kumar.
Some of the people think that majority of the Facebook users belong to small towns, where education rate is very low and people only use social media for fun, therefore, online campaigning will have no affect. Also in these areas votes are given on community basis, or are reserved for the local influential, so everyone already knows who will win the election.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Tawba Astaghfwar, May Allah forgive me.
