New, social media ?the tool? of 2012 Assembly elections

KUWAIT: Academicians and those interested in the goings-on ahead of the polls all agree there is a change in approach to ideas and new tools for approaching perspective voters; new and social media to be precise. They said Twitter is sure to be the most influential among media, ahead of TV channels, papers, and even venues such as election campaign headquarters.

Media figure and political sciences professor at Kuwait University (KU) Dr Ayed Al-Mannaa said: “Twitter is ‘the tool’ today to discuss public opinion issues. It would surely prove ‘a make or break tool’ in the 2012 elections.” Having an internet website is also a most important means to interact with the public and speak the language of the younger generation.

As important as the message and agenda might be, just as important are the means of expressing it, timing, and speed of interaction and response, he argued. “This is not to say that the usual approach is of no value,” he stressed.
The widespread use of smart phones, which come with social media applications, further enhanced the influence of these media, noted KU media professor Ahmad Al-Sherif.

Still, as close as Twitter is to laymen’s daily lives, it is not a reliable or accurate source of information. “Failure to use new media such as Twitter, facebook, or YouTube is in essence ignoring the young and failing to communicate with them. It is also a golden opportunity for a candidate’s opponents to resort to disinformation to influence the odds.”

Fellow professor Khalid Al-Qahs said, “along with accounts registered for political candidates themselves, there are unprecedented levels of activity on Twitter, for example, among the public and those wishing to know more and interact with those running. Furthermore, we can all notice the great number of channels and media outlets that sprang into existence since the decree was issued to dissolve parliament.”

Dean of Social Sciences at KU Dr Yaagoub Al-Kanderi for his part said this boom in usage is partly attributed to the fact that the 2011 controversy and 2012 elections coincided with the boom in creation and usage of social and new media in general across the region. “One advantage of new media is that campaigning through such channels is lower-cost compared to conventional methods. Campaigners were forced to learn the new technology to approach a wide and widening section of society, but can do so now at less cost.”

This came along with certain groups actually employing people to manage twitter accounts, some selling accounts claimed to have a backbone of influential followers, and some promotion and public relations companies using such widespread Smartphone applications such as whatsapp to gain attention and increase interest.

The professor chose to stress the issue of ethics. “Impersonating people, setting up websites for malicious campaigning, and being quick to believe and to spread information which could turn out to be rumors is all a sign of an ethics problem.” Candidates have to setup their official accounts to avoid impersonations, and we as public must combat the notion that “the end justifies the means” where such abuse occurs, he concluded.

Head of KU Media Department Dr Mnawer Al-Rajhi also stressed the need to use the language of the times by candidates. He noted this makes even more sense when one realizes that the majority of the voters in Kuwait are young and more attracted to new and social media than conventional venues for information. “Twitter, especially, has a perfect format to display in clear and concise manner a candidate’s agenda.”

“Another advantage of these new media is that they enable candidates to interact with female voters who are less likely to visit campaign headquarters or go to seminars and the like … The interactivity of these media, too, fosters a feeling of trust due to the quick reply and ability to comment and get response and so on and so forth.”

As for dangers of these tools, he also cited disinformation, doctoring of documents and footage and spreading of rumors. He said a quick reply and clarification is a candidate’s best defense once attacked in this way.