Impressed by the thumping success of Barack Obama's online campaign, the BJP has started using the Internet to push its prime ministerial candidate, LK Advani.
Impressed by the thumping success of Barack Obama's online campaign, the BJP has started using the Internet to push its prime ministerial candidate, LK Advani. Will a digital campaign be effective in this country? Speak Up asks around
Netas are too busy to net-work
T he online space needs to be explored by politicians. More and more are starting their own websites but it will take around five years to figure out the profile of the typical online viewer and to gauge how effective online campaigning can be. The only thing hitch here is that most Indian politicians aim at enticing the masses, many of who are either uneducated or not connected.
The Obama campaign was hugely successful because it was targeted at attracting first time voters. And it was found that most first-time voters there have access to the net. There will be around 10 crore first-time voters in India this election but we don't know how many of them use the Internet. Most Indian politicians prefer to use the popularity of television to make their poll promises. But, I foresee a day when the online medium will be popular. My experience with politicians in Karnataka tells me that most of them do not have the time or inclination to keep their websites updated. Interacting with their aides isn't very easy either because most of them have no idea about the online space. They ask questions like why does developing a site cost so much? Why they can't have their own domain name? Websites need to be updated regularly and most politicians need to hire an exclusive PR to do their online and offline writing.
India is a more complex democracy than the US. Our politics is mostly cost-based while the issues that bother the American electorate are different. Here's what our politicians should do in the internet and mobile space:
- Parties must clearly list their manifesto on their website in multiple languages.
- Politicians must have simple and clear websites. If your an incumbent list your achievements from the current tenure, if you are trying to unseat the incumbent, list all that is wrong with the constituency and what you will do to fix them. Try to get as local as possible.
- Use social networking sites to reach out to the young and educated voters like Obama.
- Provide all the information to the company which is developing the portal and then do not to interfere in its development of the portal.
—BG Mahesh. CEO, www.oneindia.in
Party ideology can be treated as a brand
Did you know that Obama and John McCain were on Second Life too? The US election campaign had a large web presence with several portals and ads dedicated to spreading the candidate agenda. Social networking site Facebook had more than 3 million Obama followers. This massive number is just the tip of the iceberg. Obama was on Twitter, Flickr, Digg…he was all over the place. I don't think there is a single internet user that wouldn't be exposed to him. I, myself voted for him on Facebook. I am not surprised that LK Advani too has decided to launch an online portal dedicated to his campaign trail. Assuming that Advani wants to target the youth, a website is a good way to stay connected with the youth even at age 80. Laloo Yadav has several profiles on Facebook too but which one is genuine? Even Gen-X politicians like Sachin Pilot, Rahul Gandhi, Jyotiraditya Scindia and Omar Abdullah have a presence on Facebook but they need to start leveraging it.
It is important to note that at the end of the day politicians are also trying to promote themselves as brands. And the online medium is a great way to promote brands especially to connect to the youth. There would be a big disconnect if a politician tried to woo rural voters with an online political campaign. The digital divide in India means that we have poor broadband penetration in small towns. Here, Internet access may be available but it remains underutilised. Advani claims that he reads all his messages and reacts. Even in the corporate scenario, messages are usually filtered as 'very important', 'important' and 'not-so-important'. And most comments are addressed by the PA to the CEO.
—Moksh Juneja. Social media analyst
Online campaigns can only reach a few
Campaigning via the internet is a new strategy for reaching out to the people. However, it can serve only a small section of our society and not the masses. I wouldn’t vote for a candidate only because he is net-savvy. Whatever promises are put up on the website must translate into some substance, otherwise what does it mean to the common man? If a politician has done good work in his or her constituency then he makes for an ideal candidate irrespective of whether he is visible on the web. Younger politicians will find it an appropriate tool to communicate with the people. However, I get back to the same question: why not focus instead on some action that will impress a larger number of people?
—Ajay Pathak
Obama used the net only as a tool
Internet was just one of the many tools that Obama employed so successfully during his campaigning. Leaders around the world are sure to take a cue from this. We have the tradition of aping the West, so we are likely to follow in Obama's footsteps. However, in India an internet campaign does not mean much because we still have a high illiteracy rate and how many of us can afford to have a computer to be connected? And ironically a large part of our literate population is disinterested in politics. Instead of imitating the West, we should try and follow their core programmes to woo the electorate. Their leaders have definite vision for development that they share with the voters.
—Nilesh Singh
Leaders can target younger voters
Internet campaign will be an effective mode of campaigning in India because we have growing computer and Internet literacy. Young India is particularly net savvy and connects with the rest of the society and even the world only through the Internet. In fact most youngsters have no time for newspapers or even television. Most of them are logged on through the day. The advantage of a net campaign would be its higher reach among urban youngsters. Our youth has little interest in politics and this would be an effective way to arouse their curiosity. I foresee our younger leaders using the net and mobile technology during the coming elections.
—Anil Vora
Only a section of voters is connected
Internet politics and election campaigning can be a viable option in India. But the common man here still does not have easy access to the Internet. So these campaigns can be targeted at only certain sections of the vote bank: mainly the middle class, which forms a fairly big chunk of our society. It can also be targeted at students because they are more attached to the Internet. Internet campaigns have their own advantage because they can be easily tracked. For younger politicians internet can offer a great alternative to real campaigning. But being net savvy is not the only criterion for a good leader. What every one will ask is: what are these men or women going to bring to the country? The net is just an additional tool that politicians can use to enhance their campaigns and broaden their outreach.
—Tanvi Bhatkal
Indians are still sceptical about the net
There are many advantages of going online today because among 100 urban Indians, more than 40% will have access to the net through desktops, laptops and even mobiles. This will help build a profile for the leader. But a large part of our population still lives in villages and areas where access to the net is low. And even in cities how many of us are online long enough to track politicians. Obama did a great job putting his speeches online and his team continuously spammed people's mailboxes. Our politicians should keep in mind is that the average Indian sees the net very differently from the west. We still go with the crowd while making major decisions. Also, they are trying to attract the youngsters but how many of them really vote?
—Vikas Chandra
Politicians can enjoy better visibility
It's a brilliant idea as almost everyone, especially in the metros and big towns are always online. Today almost everyone is surfing the net and browsing it to gather for some information. It will have any disadvantages; and the most important advantage will be that the person will be accessible to people 24/7. The more people will be able to read and hear his speeches, the more they will know about his propaganda for the upcoming elections. If more and more politicians come online, I would definitely like to read more about my favourite candidate and others and vote accordingly. Also, if a politician is net savvy that means he is moving with the times and ready to use the new technology to reach the people.
—Deepesh Srivastav
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