Despite appearing infinitely large, the World Wide Web is getting thinner with each election cycle – as evidenced by a recent university paper penned by Stephen Harper’s former communications director.
Dimitri Soudas, who managed mediums and messages for the then-prime minister, is the author of a recently released master’s thesis that lays out the tactics Canadian politicians can wield to manipulate their electorate through social media.
As more of us get our news from Facebook friends, retweets, and algorithms based on what we’ve read before, we run the risk of trading unpleasant information that might challenge our thinking for the comfort of being proved right.
We’ve seen examples of the growing primacy of social media close to home with NDP leader John Horgan bypassing traditional media in favour of prominent bloggers.
Likewise, Premier Christy Clark has stirred her base by reaching supporters directly through Facebook.
The trouble in all this is that so much of social media exists in silos where competing viewpoints are seen as enemies.
We may disagree on how our province and country should be governed, but our disagreement should always be based on facts and expressed with respect.
In parts equally terrifying and prescient, Soudas’ thesis is critical of Canadian politicians for failing to use social media as effectively as their American counterparts.
Given Donald Trump’s fact-free bile that has been spewed over Twitter recently, we can’t imagine a worse evolution for Canadian political discourse.
It’s likely true that whichever political party uses his techniques will wield a tremendous advantage.
The only disadvantage will be borne by democracy.
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