Social media: An introduction to practical uses during elections
Sanjana HattotuwaEditor, Groundviews (www.groundviews.org)
what is social media?
• Social media uses Internet and web-based technologies to transform broadcast media monologues (one to many) into social media dialogues (many to many). It supports the democratization of knowledge and information, transforming people from content consumers into content producers. (Wikipedia)
new media & technologies in elections
• Blogs
• Social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Myspace)
• Google Maps
• Mobiles: SMS, MMS, Mobile photography and video
• VoIP: Skype
• 3G: HSPA wireless broadband, ADSL
what’s new
• Ubiquity of two way communications
• Addressable peoples, even those who IDPs or refugees
• Election monitoring and campaigning tied to communications and technology
• First stories of violations come from citizens
• Low resolution content broadcast on high definition media
• Content from ordinary peoples juxtaposed with professional journalists
enduring challenges
• Impartial, accurate coverage still vital, increasingly hard to ascertain
• Torrent of information. Trickle of knowledge.
• Post-disaster communications can be unreliable and difficult
• Information of election violence do not mean political parties beha
The use of social media in the US
Source Watch: Crowdsourcing
10 questions: YouTube for accountability
Obama’s election campaign
“Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not be president. Were it not for the Internet, Barack Obama would not
have been the nominee”
Arianna Huffington, editor in chief of The Huffington Post
Obama’s election campaign
The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008, April 2009, Pew Internet & American Life Project
Obama’s election campaign
The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008, April 2009, Pew Internet & American Life Project
Obama’s election campaign
The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008, April 2009, Pew Internet & American Life Project
Obama’s election campaign
The Internet's Role in Campaign 2008, April 2009, Pew Internet &
American Life Project
The use of social media in Sri Lanka during Presidential Campaign 2010
flickr in election campaigns
flickr in election campaigns
facebook in election campaigns
facebook in election campaigns
youtube in election campaigns
youtube in election campaigns
twitter in election campaigns
wikipedia in election campaigns
Uses of social media in election monitoring
online video in election monitoring
facebook in election monitoring
twitter in election monitoring
flickr in election monitoring
twitter to get more perspectives
know your twitter hastags (#haiti)
know your twitter hastags (#slelections)
google maps in elections monitoring
groundviews.org: blogs for information on elections
Producing content
wordpress.com: blogging
ustream.tv: broadcasting via a PC
bambuser.com: mobile phone broadcasting
drop.io: reports through audio
Pulling it all in and keep abreast
Google Reader: a web based RSS reader
Spy: http://spy.appspot.com
Google: Updates from social media
Twitter: (twitter.com/slelections) Aggregation from social media
election reporting toolkit
key points: recap
• New technologies potentially give voice to all citizens
• Be sceptical of new information, but use new media to push and pull content
• Develop media literacy to embrace new technologies
Thank you