Political scientist at the University of Ghana, Dr. Alidu Seidu has highlighted the importance of social media during political campaigns.
As Ghana gears up for the highly anticipated 2024 general elections, the use of social media by political figures in championing their propositions and philosophies to electorates, shaping political narratives, mobilizing voters and election outcomes, has become prominent.
In an interview with Citi News, Dr Seidu said, “The discovery of the World Wide Web (WWW), I think around 1990 transformed a lot of things and the way we do things. And the discovery of the World Wide Web has actually had a positive impact on almost every sector of life, including politics.
“So largely, it becomes very easy for politicians to target their voter population using social media. It is very cheap compared to other means of campaigning. It is focused and smart and can reach a lot of people within a very short period.”
A Communication Specialist at the Ghana Institute of Journalism, Dr. Stephen Tingy also emphasised the importance of social media to politicians.
“There’s no serious brand today that will have a campaign running on traditional media and will not consider social media. Because the media environment is fragmented so when you rely on only one kind of channel, you’ll reach a limited number of people. Particularly in countries like ours, where we have a youth board, and studies show that young people are more comfortable using digital media.
“So, if you are in politics today and you are in to win, then you cannot have your campaign without social media. And I’m happy to see political figures taking advantage of social media.”
Speaking with some electorates, they stated that the use of social media in the political landscape can influence their voter decisions.
“I think for me and some people I have met, it kind of shapes their thoughts and their political ideologies on who they are going to vote for. We can leverage social media to shape public opinion and political parties must begin to reassess and find ways of using it to sell their messages, policies and achievements to the Ghanaian populace,” said an electorate.
“I feel like social media has been one integral aspect of our lives now. I feel like the political faction that has the upper hand on social media will influence the political outcome when it comes to elections. And I think social media is a key aspect of our electoral system now,” said another electorate.
Others were also of the view that social media has the capability of shaping public opinions but not entirely as to who to vote for.
“We can leverage social media to shape public opinion and political parties must begin to reassess and find ways of using it to sell their messages, policies and achievements to the Ghanaian populace”, said an electorate.
Political parties in the country have also emphasised the importance of using social media in propagating their political agenda.
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