EDMONTON — First we saw the ‘Stop Harper’ stop signs, then we heard about the woman who asked the prime minister be driven from office in her obituary. We witnessed a supporter’s expletive-laden outburst at reporters for their coverage of disgraced Senator Mike Duffy’s fraud trial. We also spotted a man driving around Alberta with a sign reading ‘F–k Harper’ in his back window.
All these stories were extremely popular online; many of them went viral. But, what is it about them that captivates Canadians? Is it simply the shock value? The spectacle? The profanity? One marketing instructor compared these kinds of stories to a car accident: it’s a mess, but you just can’t look away.
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However, there might be something more significant behind the reception to these stories: the election campaign.
“You have a lot of people that have had enough experience with a particular group of people, a particular prime minister, that they’re looking for something to share that someone else may have created that helps them express their opinion,” said Michael Brechtel.
Brechtel is a partner with Berlin Advertising and Public Relations in Edmonton. He believes federal governments in Canada tend to have a life cycle of about nine or 10 years. After that, citizens seem to reach the end of their rope.
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“That appears to be the amount of time it takes to p– … frustrate people enough that they are speaking up and voting against you.”
In the past, people used bumper stickers or pins to express their support or displeasure for a particular party or candidate. Brechtel said our social media profiles – and what we read and share online – are the modern version of bumper stickers and pins.
“It is much easier for me to find things other people have said that help articulate the way I’m feeling about something and I think most people are the same way. So these become the means by which people express themselves, the same way a bumper sticker used to.
“People use the posts they share or retweet to express their own opinion because they can’t express it themselves.
READ MORE: Woman’s obituary asks readers to drive Stephen Harper from office
Two things that haven’t changed? How much easier – and common – it is to share a negative viewpoint and the appetite for something bizarre.
“I think social media has provided an environment where that kind of negative perspective spreads much more quickly.
“The fact that it is a bit of a spectacle – the guy with the thing in his window, the obituary, these other things that we are seeing – they are easily spread and easily shared amongst a community, across a country that is tired. I can’t speak for everybody, but certainly we seem to get tired of our government after about 10 years.”
But is something as seemingly simple (and crude) and a ‘F–k Harper’ sign really resonating with people?
“The fact that you’re talking about it and I’m talking about it means yes,” said Brechtel.
“If we’re to judge only by people’s social media profiles and things they’re deciding to share, then yes, it seems to be resonating with people. That said, there’s people on the other side too. There’s people that are challenging those things and there’s people that I think disagree with the sentiments. But this is politics – people feel strongly.”
READ MORE: Reporters heckled by Conservative supporters for questions about Duffy
Brechtel added that people connect with certain articles and share them in order to express something about their belief system.
“There’s an underlying judgement in values or politics that is being showcased through the decisions to post or repost these things. But ultimately if something is spectacular unusual and weird, we’re going to post it, whether we agree or not.”
In case you’re wondering, Brechtel said he hasn’t decided who he’s voting for yet.
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