BLOG 3 - THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA

We live in a new era in which voters no longer have to depend on the nightly news, radio, or the newest newspaper article to interact with politics (Martin 2018) — information is now constantly updated and instantly accessible on the internet.

(Mugai 2020)

Politicians and citizens alike have utilised social media in a variety of ways to express their ideas and get backing. Every political group has its own page where they may submit campaign messages and interact with their supporters (Reed n.d).

TikTok Drama

A marketing business claiming to work for the Labor Party is proposing to compensate TikTok users to publish promoted anti-Scott Morrison videos. A small influencer marketing business in the United States contacted a TikTok user with the subject field "Paid TikTok Opportunity: Australian Labor Party." The message proposes $300 for the creation and distribution of a TikTok film "based on the overriding concept of 'Scott Morrison is too slow and constantly late." (Taylor 2022).

In November of last year, TikTok sent a letter to Australian political groups urging them not to fund influencers or participate in any other type of advertising on the site. While politicians can use TikTok, they cannot promote on the network due to TikTok's branded content rule (Taylor 2022). TikTok, unlike other social media platforms like facebook and YouTube, does not allow political ads.

The Australian Electoral Commission can punish people up to $26,640 if they collect money to promote political groups in any media in Australia without proper disclosure or political permission.

Creating Digital Communities through #Auspol

#Auspol is one of Australia's most popular hashtags, which also rated third globally among trending political topics on the social media platform in 2015. Political hashtags are a great way to connect with like-minded people in order to form digital communities for topics surrounding the hashtag (V 2021).

What does this hashtag actually mean?

Short for Australian politics, #auspol is most often used for commentary and rumour spreading about the machinations of the federal government. The #auspol hashtag was there for all of Australia's most recent political debacles, including the unusual phenomenon of having five prime ministers in five years. In any case, the shaping of politics by new communication platforms and social media is just getting started. #auspol, for one, has left its mark on Australian politics.

Since the general adoption of social media has been a reality, it's become a major element of many people's daily life. It's no surprise that the growth of social networks has had an impact on the world of politics, as they provide a fresh arena for people to discuss and debate their beliefs.

Ordinary citizens now have unparalleled access and influence thanks to social media, but is this enhancing or worsening politics today?

Leave your thoughts below!

References

Bogle, A 2016, #auspol: The Twitter hashtag Australia can’t live without, Mashable, viewed 22 April 2022, <https://mashable.com/article/twitter-australia-auspol#4tvfXtsZUEqV>.

Kefford, G 2019, Vote 2019: Social media is emerging as the newest political battlefield, SBS News, viewed 4 May 2022, <https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/vote-2019-social-media-is-emerging-as-the-newest-political-battlefield/pz6y1vdxr>.

Martin, N 2018, How social media has changed how we consume news, Forbes, viewed 4 May 2022, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicolemartin1/2018/11/30/how-social-media-has-changed-how-we-consume-news/?sh=4f864b7b3c3c>.

Mugai, C, ‘Social media and Mass Media’ [image], in KBC 2020, Social media and mass media: who has the political midas touch?, viewed 04 May 2022, <https://www.kbc.co.ke/social-media-and-mass-media-who-has-the-political-midas-touch/>.

Reed, J 2020, The influence of social media on politics, Best in Australia, viewed 26 April 2022, <https://bestinau.com.au/social-media-politics/>.

Taylor, J 2022, TikTok warned Australian political parties against advertising on its platform, The Guardian, viewed 27 April 2022, <https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2022/jan/21/tiktok-warned-australian-political-parties-against-advertising-on-its-platform>.

Trounson, A 2016, Social media politics: for and against, Election Watch, University of Melbourne, viewed 23 April 2021, <https://electionwatch.unimelb.edu.au/australia-2016/articles/social-media-politics-for-and-against>.

Wilson, C 2021, TikTok users offered $300 to produce anti-ScoMo content for Labor campaign, Crikey, viewed 4 May 2022, <https://www.crikey.com.au/2021/11/18/tiktok-users-anti-scott-morrison-content/>.

V, K 2021, Political hashtag trends: the role of political hashtags to influence people mindset, Political Marketing Strategy Consultant, viewed 19 April 2022, <https://politicalmarketer.com/political-hashtag-trends/>.