Online politics lacking

If you are reading this in the newspaper, chances are you learned a lot from Bryce Edwards’ article today on the role social media is playing in politics.

If you are reading this on our website, chances are you know already. The coming election will be fought online as well as on radio, television and printed page.

The campaign online could be crucial if it motivates young people to vote. In the 18-29 age bracket not even half of those eligible to vote last election did so.

The turnout of voters over 65, by contrast, was 87 per cent. No wonder parties are keen to tap the well of potential votes in the millennial generation and reach them through Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram.

These media are increasingly visual rather than verbal, and the skills required are different from those that work in mass media.

The term mass media does not refer to the size of its audience, social media can reach more, but to the public nature of radio, television and newspapers.

What works online will not necessarily work in print. Edwards believes Prime Minister Bill English’s postings of himself cooking a spaghetti pizza and taking his followers on a runwalk exercise worked well online, personalising him.

They did not do much for him when the mass media publicised the clips. But it may be worth looking a little cheesy on television if it works online.

Labour will be looking to deputy leader Jacinda Ardern to carry its campaign in social media. Leader Andrew Little is not a natural in the medium, Edwards finds. Little posted a video of himself at home ironing a shirt. Whatever insights he hoped to convey, Edwards found it boring.

Authenticity is everything in visual media. Anything that does not come naturally will look phony.

Young people have their own idioms and it does no good for older ones to imitate them. It never works.

Election results in the United States, Britain and France over the past year may have much to do with social media.

Donald Trump loves it, and social media is credited with growing the youth vote in last month’s British election.

The party that develops an effective online presence here in September could pull off a surprise.