The future of politics is Instagram?
It didn’t garner the same attention as the federal Conservative leadership race, or the British Columbia general election, but the St. Bonaventure’s College student council election last week was hard-fought, and might just offer a few useful lessons about politics today, and where things are going.
And by the look of it, the future of politics is Instagram and Snapchat.
When it comes to campaigning, social media is the best way to get your message out.
Most of the students have campaign Instagram accounts — separate from their main Instagram presence, which is a must for anyone.
“Having your name plastered everywhere is a great way to win,” said Jacob Bennett, who delivered his closing campaign speech literally plastered with stickers promoting his candidacy.
But Jacob said that with the walls of St. Bon’s plastered with campaign posters — his posters included — it becomes hard to stand out.
“The posters, after a while, they kind of become — your eyes sort of glaze over them. There are so many that you can’t really focus on them,” he said.
Instagram, though, offers a way for students to connect directly with the electorate.
Rachel Howells, who was elected as vice-president of the student council, used her campaign Instagram to tell fellow students where to meet her at recess to talk about campaign issues and ask her questions.
“With my Instagram, I’m trying to show my involvement and my commitment to student council, but also in my lengthy captions, I like to discuss what I can do,” Rachel said.
“You can only be so specific in saying what you’re going to do, because you can’t really know until next year how it plays out.”
Along with Instagram, Rachel was one of a couple candidates who actually paid to have a campaign Snapchat geo-filter draped over the school, so that any student who opened the app on school grounds would be able to see her campaign message.
According to political science professor Kelly Blidook, this is something that he sees in professional politicians, too — although they mostly stick to Instagram’s comparatively uncool older sibling, Facebook.
Blidook said he saw it firsthand on a recent research trip where he was following around a New Zealand member of parliament.
“Probably a handful of times every day, she’d hand me her phone and say, ‘Kelly, can you take my picture right now?’ And it would be on Facebook minutes later,” he said.
“A direct quote (from the MP) is, ‘If it’s not on Facebook, it didn’t happen.’”
Another issue issue that student politicians grapple with is one that will be familiar most Canadian voters who paid attention to Liberal campaign commitments — making realistic campaign promises.
“You don’t want to be the person to promise students stuff which you can’t deliver on, so policies and what you’re presenting and what you’re promoting is also as valid,” said Ami Ajadi, who ultimately won the election for student council president.
Ami said his campaign was fundamentally about giving students a voice, and being as approachable as possible to everyone, from Grade 7 right through to Grade 12.
In speeches to students in the St. Bon’s gymnasium the day before the vote, students talked a bit about policy, but mostly they talked about past school council experience, approachability, and commitment to being a voice for students.
The speeches also featured one candidate for student council treasurer swaggering up to the microphone with friend “making it rain” with fake money behind him, another candidate with a video message where she danced like Carlton Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel-air, and one presidential candidate who just punted beach balls into the crowd.