Social media magnifying comments on Alberta campaign trail: political strategist

Political candidates looking to share their platforms in the lead-up to the Alberta general election this May aren’t restricted to forums and door-knocking.

Those messages can be – and often are – consumed on the internet by anyone with access to a computer or mobile device.

“Being able to post your own information on Facebook or Twitter or whatever to reach your own audience, that is a real benefit we didn’t have 15 or 20 years ago,” said Stephen Carter, political strategist and president of Decide Campaigns.

But that kind of reach can also have its pitfalls.

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Recent comments made by two southern Alberta provincial election candidates resulted in swift backlash, even leading to the resignation of Torry Tanner, the UCP candidate in Lethbridge-West.

“We called them ‘bozo eruptions’ back in 2012, when people would say things they actually meant,” Carter said.

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According to Carter, the increased access to soundbites also increases how magnified they become.

“If you were in a town hall meeting 30 years ago and you said the same thing, that town hall meeting doesn’t have the ability to be captured,” Carter said.

“But now these boring entities, because they’re online, we can capture them and put them into our news cycles and communication structures.”

“So we’re getting these bozo eruptions on a regular basis.”

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Now that websites and social media have joined traditional mediums as platforms for political ads and candidate videos, Carter believes we’ll see online content continue to evolve.

“With the advent of more and more technology, like Snapchat, WhatsApp, you’re going to start to see more integration of advertising into those social networks,” Carter said.

But when it comes time for ballots to be cast, he doesn’t feel social media moves the needle much on election day.

“Social media, traditional media, advertising, campaigning, all of those things take a backseat to what your buddy, your friends or your partner says. Those things still have real meaning because we have more trust,” Carter said.

Alberta’s fixed provincial election date is May 29. Advanced voting will be held May 23 – May 27.