Over the years, technological advancements have redefined many aspects of our society, including politics. Smart phones, tablets, and computers equipped with new technologies are used by politicians and parties to communicate with the masses and influence them more effectively. Social media has a great role to play in this context, which is only a portion of what IT in broad sense is.
Earlier the political parties and politicians relied on speeches, print and electronic media, radio, etc to pass on their message to people. Because, these mediums helped them reach larger audiences, provide information when it is most needed, easy way to shape up the PR of a party and politician.
With the advent of technology and smart phones, the social media has evolved rapidly and information is readily available than before and very fast. This means any new details, strategies, and objectives will reach the masses almost immediately, so posting the newest information online to keep voters updated is crucial to the success of any politician and/or party. Apart from this rapid information flow, politicians can now use media-rich content, like videos, podcasts, and interactive contents on their web pages, allowing them to boost engagement and have more reach than traditional static content.
The biggest challenge a politician ever has is reaching out to target audience and send their message across to them. Keeping one’s supporters engaged with interesting content and winning new followers is pertinent. One solution is Web Tracking Technology, by which the political parties are targeting the potential voters on the borderline. Apart from personalized email communications, web content & targeted paid ads, the political parties are resorting to building and delivering different digital marketing campaigns with customized information send to supporters and undecided voters that suits them in order to convert them to followers.
The biggest success of a political party is to have a good campaign and have better social influence and how the political leaders interact with general public. IT and social media has made it possible now with politicians reaching out to masses through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.
In India, this revolution started well before the 2014 general elections and which has seen Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rise to power. There was a general notion that Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in the first term majorly due to social media. But, in 2019, it was something more.
With 900 million people casting their votes for 543 Lok Sabha seats over a period of one and a half months is definitely a big celebration and termed as the festival of democracy around the world.
Unlike 2014, this time the challenge was manifold for Modiji & BJP. By now, all major political parties had access to IT and social media. Everyone has their own large pool of teams to reach out to people with content. Indian voters are always inconsistent, spatial and of varied social divides. Reaching out to them needs the deployment of newer technology in the campaigns. From 250million social media users in 2014 the rise was almost 108 percent with around 520 million in 2019.
In 2017, PM Modi had said that 2019 elections will be fought on smart phones. Well he obviously meant it when the results came.
“My First Vote For Modi” “Swachh Bharat” “Main Bhi Chowkidar” and “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai” turned out to be the game changers
As per AdLift, with more than 142million combined followers of BJP’s various social media platforms in comparison to 23million of Congress, the upper hand was with thr BJP.
Just a couple of days before the general elections 2019, an YouTube video hit the social media platforms with youngsters dancing to the tunes of the video as to why they will vote for Modi being a first time voter. The video talked about development, Ujjwala, Digital India and Skill India. This was an instant hit and went viral.
“Swachh Bharat” introduced by the Modi Government has taken up the internet and social media by storm and became a mass movement to engage millions of people and brought the sense of cleanliness by relating to their daily chores. “Main Bhi Chowkidar” was another super hit that brewed a sense of nationalism along with safety and security among the masses.
Wonderful personalised content like short videos, GIFs, Memes, Infographics, Ring Tones, etc. made on various leading Indian languages spread across social media platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and most importantly WhatsApp groups (BJP has a wider share of such groups and users) to reach out to public. And, the people loved them, shared them and swayed with them.
Another social media game changer was the mobile app called “NaMo App” which connected the user directly with Modiji, what with the various volunteers and social media evangelists who run their own campaigns in favour of BJP and Modi. Most social benefit schemes were launched by Modiji through social media and a lot of hashtag movements were ran in Twitter by the IT Cell of BJP that were trending well.
While Akshay Kumar interview video made Modi acceptable and related to common man, his fitness video did the trick of his physical and mental strength to lead India. Also, “Modi Hai Toh Mumkin Hai” “Soch Badlo Tabhito Badlega India” and “How’s the JOSH”, to name a few, are some of the social media slogans that not only changed the mindset of people but also converted many millions as followers of Brand Modi.
It’s not that other political parties didn’t use the IT and social media. One can see the campaigns of Congress like ‘Acche din aaye nahi, par apna time aayega. Register nahi kiya, toh vote ka chance jayega’, while a Valentine’s Day message to Modi read, ‘Are you Anil Ambani? Cos I want to be your chowkidaar’ that has wooed public to great extent. Even Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Samajwadi, BSS, CPI had their own share too in social media.
There is lot of hue and cry over data theft through WhatsApp while allegations are that some social media channels customizing their applications suiting to particular group and so on.
Day to day, technology is evolving and with it social media platforms are evolving. Artificial Intelligence has already forayed into social media. OTT (Over The Top technology) is revolutionising SmartTV and phones. No one knows what will be the next, but it’s for sure IT and social media are going to outsmart traditional media communication tools in near future.
(The author is State Head, IT and social media, BJP)