How much will Kerala politicians rely on social media this time

Thiruvananthapuram,Mar 14: Politicians these days rely heavily on an online campaign to put-forth their point of view. The social media campaign will be much used in the forthcoming assembly elections to various states and Kerala too will be no different.

Candidates are ready to shell out a considerable amount of money this time around to make themselves visible on the social media.While most of the candidates want a website and social media account of their own ahead of the May 2016 elections, it is yet to be seen how interactive they would be on it.

There are many in Kerala who still believe that the social media campaign will not work and their efforts need to be focused more on the ground.

They feel that the social media campaign will only connect a select few and the real voters are still in the village level. However the Chief Minister of Kerala Oomen Chandy appears to be the most interactive among the lot on his social media page.

Will Kerala go social?

There has been a major increase in the number of social media accounts and websites of politicians this year when compared the previous elections. Everyone wants a page as they believe it is the way forward. The BJP which is staking a major electoral share in Kerala currently is the only party which is active and interactive on the social media.

There are several other politicians who have pages, but the posts are largely like a press note. It either points out an achievement or notes a corruption charge against their opponent. What is lacking from these candidates is that they are hardly interactive.

Social media experts say that it may another election or two before all candidates rely heavily on the social media and even interact on it.

Several IT firms have been approached this year by candidates who have been asked to create websites and also a social media page. While these firms have been working overtime in setting up accounts and also uploading data relating to the candidates, they feel that that individual participation will be the key.

Messages cannot be automated all the time. The reader does expect a certain amount of participation or direct interaction from the candidate, these firms feel.

OneIndia News