Political parties are increasingly turning to social media campaigns to drive political party messages in the run-up to next month’s general elections.
While the online space can inform about policies and manifestos, there is also a growing risk of disinformation.
The Electoral Commission of South Africa (IEC), recognising the growing use of digital media in political campaigning, signed a framework of co-operation with social media companies last year to combat disinformation and other digital harms.
The agreement with Google, Meta and TikTok is aimed at safeguarding the integrity of information and preserving the fundamentals of the country’s electoral processes.
According to the IEC’s deputy chief, Masego Sheburi, one of the reasons for these guidelines was to protect voters.
“The misinformation, the disinformation are all the negatives that you find on these platforms, and we sought to say through these guidelines let’s protect the citizens, the voters, the recipients of various messages.”
Sheburi said the guidelines would provide a comprehensive framework on how best to interface online platforms before, during and after elections.
Campaigns had shifted to digital platforms and social media platforms, in the form of information sharing, with increased speed and ease of access to information, he said.
Reputation expert Solly Moeng said political parties were riding the current trends by understanding their target market and selling them their political messages.
“Importantly, you need to understand the target market’s media consumption habits and preferences.
“So if Tik Tok or Twitter or Facebook or other social media platforms are the way to go in order to reach your target, I think they are doing the right thing by doing that.”
Moeng said South African politics was similar to that of other countries where people tended to be attracted by individuals.
“Julius Malema and Jacob Zuma, whatever they do, people love to hate, love or to defend them.
“Thanks to them, whatever platform they use, people want to hear what they say. This is just like Donald Trump in the US, he had a huge following on Twitter before they removed him ... he was the first president in American history to communicate policy matters through Twitter.”
EFF leader in KwaZulu-Natal Mongezi Twala said: “Our constituency is made up of predominantly young people. Students in universities and pupils in high schools. When we put something on social media, it goes viral.”
He said in KwaZulu-Natal they have 120 000 volunteers that they encourage to actively engage with the party’s social media pages and engage with the content.
“We also engage in community activities and post what the party is doing on our social media pages,” said Twala.
The EFF provincial leader said they had encountered problems where fake pages surfaced.
“In one instance, a social media page emerged claiming to be that of the president (Julius Malema). The president does not have a page on Facebook.”
He said to counter that, the party uses its own platforms, like its studios, Youtube and Whatsapp channels, and it has a newsletter where it engages with the public on policy matters.
IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said social media was a key component in running a successful 2024 election campaign.
“The power of social media in shaping opinions and determining political outcomes by influencing how people vote, has become undeniable. To this end, we have made an effort to distribute more of our content to our social media pages, in order to reach new audiences, especially the youth,” he said.
The IFP spokesperson said social media can never completely replace traditional media, and the party continued to invest in traditional media campaigns that involve TV, radio and newspaper advertisements.
“With regards to disinformation, it is impossible to completely combat this new phenomenon, however as soon as we see misinformation arising, we strive to correct it timeously through statements or recordings,” said Hlengwa.
The Mercury