Social media can impact electoral outcomes by allowing political parties to set the agenda, counter misinformation, run targeted messaging campaigns, and educate voters. Facebook in particular is a powerful tool, with over 71 million Indian users in 2012 that are expected to reach 100 million by 2013. Political parties can use Facebook and other social media platforms like Twitter, Google+, and Whatsapp to deliver messages to voters through images, videos and text in local languages. By spreading simple and repetitive messages through social media, parties can influence first-time and younger voters. However, parties must know how to effectively use different social media tools and channels to engage various audience types.

1. CAN SOCIALMEDIAIMPACT ELECTORAL OUTCOME ?
June 2013
Amit Malviya

2. Electoral Campaign
• Tactical
• Constituency profiling
• Past electoral data analysis
• Candidate selection
• Local messaging
• Booth management
• Get the vote out
• Strategic
• It is all about right communication that is simple and effective !
• The level of misinformation is high.
• Often there is no information.

3. Why Social Media ?
• It lets you
• Set the agenda.
• Counter the propaganda.
• Run a fact based negative campaign.
• Targeted messaging.
• Voter education.
• Provide publicity material / talking points.

4. Why Social Media ?
• Deep penetration. Sticky.
• Facebook reach 71Mn in Dec12 (54% higher over Dec11).
• Likely to reach 100Mn by Dec13
• Add another 25Mn NRIs, who will be eligible to vote.
• Peer to peer and micro targeting possible. Personal.
• Amplifies and facilitates repeat messaging.
• Two way communication. Allows for crowd sourcing
feedback.
• New medium – impact unknown. First mover advantage.
• Invest in Facebook – think of it as a channel.

5. Why Facebook ?
• 97% on Social Media use FB. Spreading rapidly beyond
metros. 1/3 from towns with population < 5lac, 1/4 < 2lac.
• 160/543 are High Impact Constituencies (FB users higher
than margin of victory or > 10% of voting population.)
• 67/543 are Medium Impact Constituencies (FB user >5% of
voting population. Each FB user can influence one.)
• Rest are Low Impact (60/543) or No Impact (256/543)
• Party wise standing in 2009
Party Impact Level
High Medium Low No Total
INC 75 28 27 76 206
BJP 44 18 11 43 116

6. Twitter
• 16Mn users currently [14% of Social Media]
• Open
• Partisan
• Instant
• Noisy
• Has taken main stream media hostage !

7. Channels
• Social Media
• Facebook dominates
• Twitter
• Google+
• Google Hangout
• Pinterest
• Whatsapp
Different channels will cater to different audiences.
• Messages in various formats supported –
audio, video, pictures and text.
• Allows multilingual messaging.

8. Why Is Social Media Effective ?
• Average people believe what most other people
believe, not necessarily what is the truth.
• Main stream media has its biases
• Indian Middle class lacks enthusiasm, is ill-informed.
Need to deliver messages in their living rooms, on their
handheld devices, in their mail boxes, which they can
access in their time.
• Social media has captured the imagination of first time
voters in the 18-24 age group. Voting population in 2014
expected to be 800Mn, many below 25.

9. Important To Know How to Use IT !
• When to use a sledge hammer and when a toothpick.
• Minds ruled by emotions cannot be overruled by logic.
• Voters don’t read the fine print.
• Voters want it short and simple.
• We must say what we have to and keep repeating.

10. Has it worked before ? Yes.
• Obama campaign spent USD 16M in online advertising
and social media presence (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter
etc), including mobile devices.
• They also bought ad spots on bus, MTV, Comedy
Central, video games, radio, student newspapers, alt-
weeklies, as well as outdoor billboards.
Learning: We need to take the battle to unconventional
avenues to attract non traditional voters.

11. Challenges ?
• How to build a volunteer base ?
• Voter registration
• Door to door campaign
• Get the vote out !

12. Annexure

13. Voter Awareness Series
Source : http://on.fb.me/10j1gdZ