So what's new? Not much, there will still be the usual rhetoric, with politicians visiting downtrodden communities, giving out food, t-shirts, and promises of a better life for all. In fact whilst on a recent visit to the Transkei I heard that the ANC had just been around giving out vast quantities of paraffin. My question then was 'will you be voting for the ANC?' to which came the reply, 'Hell no, but I wouldn't turn away the paraffin' ... well as near to that as the Xhosa to English translation went.
With the downturn in fortunes for the print media an election year is a bonus and one which they'll be looking to make the most of. With Julius now forming the EFF this could give them even more front page headlines than normal, not to mention Agang and the wavering fortunes of COPE - well, maybe the odd column for the latter two.
The difference for me in this next election will be that political party's fortunes won't necessarily be at the mercy of editors as much as the social media and the influential bloggers and Tweeters. Recent political history has proven how much sway social media has, especially with the younger citizens of a country. They would far rather read their Twitter feed and Facebook pages than a newspaper.
The question is: will every party make full use of these outlets in their fight for votes? The big difference between news headlines and accusations is that although media sometimes get things wrong, are known for hyperbole and apologising after the fact, they can be held accountable. With social media anyone can literally say anything! And the anything can then spread like wildfire, leaving Sunday Times style circulation numbers standing.
In India the Election Commission has this week issued guidelines on the use of social media for poll campaigns, warning of the legality or lack of it on this issue.
So perhaps the outcome, to a certain degree of next year's elections comes down to who has the best social media team. Who's poring over social media pages rebutting factual inaccuracies and publishing lightning-fast Infographics. And here I don't mean the often bordering on demented, ramblings of some politicians - but slick, carefully worded Tweets and Instagrams.
Out of a quick whip through the Twitter accounts of the ANC, DA, Cope, Agang and the EFF, none had up-to-date Tweets on them. Most were a day old EXCEPT the EFF! Julius has got one of his red-berets sitting firmly by a computer not putting out any original Tweets of their own but just sitting waiting for adverse newspaper articles on the ANC to repost! It's better than nothing, perhaps, and shows they're utilising the power of social media already.
With the biggest voter apathy being amongst young people, social media including SMSs could be the best tool to prompt and remind them of their responsibility, without having to get them to attend a single rally or meeting.
So, if by any chance you are reading this political comms people then best you go straight out and hire a permanent social media person to spread your word. Each day that passes is a day less to election countdown!
