Yesterday, I was interviewed by Paul Mason, economics editor of BBC Newsnight, on why politicians are failing to connect with voters; the impact of social media and whether or not the current volatility in the British political system is a short term blip or will have lasting impact.
It was on the back of Paul's theory that the Blackberry world (that of politicians and those in power) is clashing with the iPhone world (society at large).
It gave me a lot to think about as someone who has recently transitioned from a Blackberry to an iPhone!
My view is that we are seeing people challenge the old command and control structures which have dominated politics for so long.
This has come about because of developments in the last eighteen months. In the autumn 2008 the credit crunch created mass fury at the perceived irresponsibility of financial institutions and the markets. The response from politicians and policy-makers was to step in to “protect” citizens who they regarded as powerless victims. This facilitated a palpable shift in power towards politicians as more regulation and state action became the received global response. Unfortunately, politicians overplayed their hand. And within only six months, the arrogance and behaviour of many politicians was exposed throughout the expenses scandal.
This precipitated a second shift in power, towards voters and less dominant political parties.
And that is what we are seeing now.
Don’t just think this is an anti-politics agenda
However, it is too easy to dismiss this trend as being purely about voter dissatisfaction and anti-politics. But unfortunately, many politicians are attributing the recent surge for the Liberal Democrats as just this.
Instead, this is about people wanting to break free from what they perceive as the command and control tendencies of the big parties.
People are recognising that that they can make a difference. And social media such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs are helping them do this.
We are seeing this in a variety of different ways:
- The increasing political significance of Mumsnet which has become the voice of the “family” vote that political leaders ignore at their peril
- Twitter users forcing greater scrutiny and coverage of the Iranian elections on CNN
- Rage Against the Machine halting Simon Cowell’s domination of the Christmas no 1 slot last year
- The social media campaign that forced M&S to change its pricing policy on larger bras.
All of this, combined with the weakening of class ties to political parties, is heralding a more open era in British politics where people believe they can have a greater impact.
Social media – it’s about impact, not tools
Nonetheless, the problem with so many politicians is that they talk about the ‘tools’ of social media but are failing to understand its impact.
They see these new channels as just more things to control and manipulate, as Labour did with mainstream media and broadcasters so famously through its ‘pager strategy’ in 1997.
And when they do engage with social media it is a little like my Dad writing an email as if it is a letter. It demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding about both the tool and its purpose.
But, it’s not all bad. We have seen the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats doing more in this election. The Conservative have a neat iPhone application which provides updates on news, policy areas and encourages people to get involved. Labour is using Twitter effectively to try to directly communicate to people and retweeting what is being said about itself.
Parties need to move beyond promotion
But nonetheless, the majority of social media activity is focused on promotion, publicity and one-way communication.
When in fact there is a real chance for the further democratisation of our politics. Social media isn’t just about trivialising issues, it offers a real chance for people to get involved.
It isn’t just gaming and porn that has driven internet growth. Social networking is a major driver of growth. And this is about people wanting to connect with people, with new ideas, with new projects.
And so content matters. Ideas matters. Views matter.
And politicians must not fall into the trap of thinking that these new channels are not suited to the discussion of real ideas and policies. Because they are.
The danger for politicians is to become too obsessed with a bottom up or too populist approach. Politicians still need to argue for big ideas, big principles. And social media should be harnessed for the robust and combative discussion of ideas, not seen as just another channel to target voters.
A recurring irony is that so often politicians talk about an inability to connect with people, to engage people and to get people’s attention on issues of substance. And yet in the same breath they are failing to embrace social media which has the potential to connect in a meaningful two-way relationship with voters.
Initiatives such as hopeplus.org are about making changes happen through action. That is the Big Global Society at work – something that would be completely unheard of ten years ago. That is the future that politicians need to embrace.
Learning the lessons before it’s too late
Having said that, the test for political parties isn’t an easy one. Businesses are only just starting to see social media as an opportunity as opposed to a threat.
But brands that do see social media as an opportunity, are starting to reap the rewards.
Dell is now using social media for product development; American Apparel has tapped into the cultural zeitgeist that demands honesty and authenticity and has developed a cult-like following as a result.
I hope politicians learn the lessons they need to learn quickly.
This election is an interesting one.
It may well be that we are in the middle of a transition akin to that in the 1960s when the civil rights movement, sexual liberation, the anti-Vietnam protests forced the political classes to wake up to change.
The difference being, in a world of social media, trends and attitudes can force change in a matter of 8-10 weeks, not 8-10 years.