By Bernard Bwoni
From the indistinct corners of Dotito to Lupane, the
Zimbabwe political discourse has increasingly now been condensed into an iPhone
or any other smartphone device. The demography of the Zimbabwe electorate is
changing with a new shift towards new approaches to information outreach. This
is happening fast and political parties in Zimbabwe might have to quickly adapt
to this changing reality and be in sync with this trend. Social media has
become a crucial platform where anyone and everyone can interact in an
unstructured and informal manner. Dialogue on national issues is happening on
social media at a pace that even the politicians themselves have to play catch
up with what is happening in the country. The Internet is about instant
connection and with 2018 just being around the corner this is going to be even
more crucial electoral playing field. One Facebook user Sa Muchuwe made an
observation on the ruling party official website that “ZANU-PF lives in the past. Their website still has dead people as the
VP and fired Joyce Mujuru still in the presidium according to their website”.
I checked and he is absolutely right that the site might need updating. It is
debatable where he states that ruling party lives in the past because of the potency
of its policies meant to empower. The reason why I mention this is that today’s
electorate has become more observant, more instant and more critical. I am not
a web designer, but I doubt that it takes a lot to update a website. These are the
basics that matter and hence why this young Muchuwe observed it and mentioned
it and then linked it to a limitation somewhere within the polity. Facebook should not be a platform for the
Facebook and Twitter are going to be hugely
influential and will to a large extent play a decisive role in determining the
outcome of the scuffle between the main political parties in the 2018 campaign.
Professor Jonathan Moyo is perceptive and his increasing presence on social
media is not a taboo but providing potential voters with information and a
sound platform where young people can pose questions and discuss national
issues. Young people are drawn to social media platforms in which they can
engage with politicians and discuss policies at a human level without the
pretentions of rehearsed rallies. The young people of today have been exposed
to a world that is changing at an alarming pace. The traditional media in
Zimbabwe used to mainly be the print media, the radio and TV and this is now
being taken over by social media. The numbers of those engaged in Zimbabwe
politics online is greater than ever before owing to greater access to Internet.
Technology has taken Zimbabwe by storm and social
media is going to become extremely more persuasive than print media in
spreading election messages and information. It is unfortunate that most politicians
in Zimbabwe are not embracing it and some viewing it as shallow. Social media
is an important platform for reaching out to voters. The majority of
Zimbabweans now have access mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets and
even in the remote rural areas many are beginning to have access. This is in no
way meant to suggest that social media is going to determine the outcome of the
election, but the fact of the matter it is going to be very important. It is a
useful tool for assessing public opinion and also for disseminating
information. As we slowly approach 2018, party websites, twitter, Facebook
pages and YouTube videos are going to be critical in rallying party supporters,
canvassing for the support and spreading party news and messages. Facebook in
particular is going to be a fiercely competitive virtual battleground of
ideology for the main political parties. Social media is a vital platform for
national debate during elections and ignoring it would be short sighted for any
political party. It is currently leading the discourse in Zimbabwe politics, it
breaks the news as it happens and you do not need to even walk to the shops or
wait for the bus from town to get a newspaper. Everything is right there on the
smartphone. The social media gives politicians and their parties a stage to
engage and lay out their visions. In the case of Zimbabwe social media
compliments traditional media sources such as print, radio and television.
Facebook and Twitter in Zimbabwe are vibrant virtual
forums for dialogue and discussions. Young people in Zimbabwe as anywhere else
in the world are creating the content on social media that is playing an
increasingly significant role in the public sphere and for political agenda
setting. It is clearly interconnected with the mainstream media. It is
providing an opportunity to connect Zimbabwe’s electorate, especially the
young. The difficult with social media is always about sifting the wheat from
the chaff, the purely propaganda from the candour. Zimbabwe is thrust in a
world of social media and it would be disastrous for politicians not to fully
embrace this important information platform. Election battles are going to be
on social media and less at the big rally fronts. It is those politicians who
familiarise themselves with social media, make their presence felt and state
engaging positively with the electorate who are going to dominate, inform and
get their party message heard.
The trend in Zimbabwe has seen the power of social
media in electoral politics and diminishing relevance of traditional media
sources who have been playing catch up with online sources. Politicians cannot
afford to ignore the power of social media and the Internet as a platform for
spreading their party message and convincing the electorate to vote for them.
The point by Sa Muchuwe that the ruling party is “living in the past yet we
expect them to plan a futuristic economy” can be challenged if the ruling party
starts to fully embrace social media to engage these young people. The ruling
party has a solid base, has history and sound policies that are meant to
empower the youth of Zimbabwe. There is need to present a savvy image on social
media to be able to broadly relate to these young people and in so doing
present the party vision to them.
Household access and individual usage of the Internet
has been on the rise in Zimbabwe. In 2018, those born after 1980 will account a
significant chunk of the voters and this group happens to be the main consumers
of social media and the Internet. There is need to begin the preparations by
recruiting young, savvy and dynamic people to support them better manage their
social media engagement. Social media has the potential to be an asset if
managed effectively or weapon against if mismanaged. The best way to influence
social discussions is not necessarily to provide facts but to provoke.
Provocation triggers debate and dialogue. Zimbabwe is in this new media zone
that has transformed media space and is going to play pivotal role in
transforming elections. There has been a technological transformation of news
and information. Today it is a lot easier to just look at your smartphone for
the latest news rather than a newspaper or television. This shift is changing
the way politicians communicate and reach out to the electorate. It is changing
the tone and content of the Zimbabwe political narrative. The electorate is now
presented with instant information than before. Social media is going to be the
ultimate battlefront in the 2018 election campaign. This is a platform that is
going to favour sentiment over logic. That is how the 2018 election campaign
going to play.
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