Politicians Engineering Naturalness

Last Tuesday at the February meeting of the Dallas Social Media Club (SMC), the topic was politicians and social media. Is this the election where social media makes the difference? No.

While social media tools have expanded ways for politicians to communicate, this evolution has given way for media to isolate politician's words and the distribution of citizen critiques worldwide. Therefore, the result is political consultants over-training their candidates to be aware that each and every word can be a sound bite or blog headline. We are "engineering naturalness". Ironic because social media is supposed to be transparent and authentic. Not so. The pressure is on.

Case in point is the most recent Selma visit by Barack Obama. At Brown Chapel AME Church, Obama said the following, "Take off your bedroom slippers. Put on your marching shoes. Go do some politics. Change this country! That's what we need," Obama said at the historic church. "We have too many children in poverty in this country, and everybody should be ashamed, but don't tell me it doesn't have a little to do with the fact that we got too many daddies not acting like daddies. Don't think that fatherhood ends at conception. I know something about that because my father wasn't around when I was young, and I struggled." -- New York Daily News

Did Obama miss the Democrat's talking points memo? Conception = Pro-Life

Or you could be like Hillary and feign social media tactics and not talk about self-proclaimed taboo topics like her husband...no comments accepted.

Community Guy, Jake McKee, asked the most interesting question of the evening: Does social media hinder the voting process?

Voting is a one-time event. At this juncture, voting online is not an option (another bunny path we can explore later), so the event is planned and forces the voter into action outside of his or her routine. If more people are turning to social media to listen and promote candidates, will they stop with becoming a "friend" of the candidate or commenting on a blog, thinking they have done their duty for the candidate, and never actually vote?  Where is the social media call to action that will show in the final polls?

Social Media Optimization blog author, David Wilson, has an interesting thread discussing the same topic and follows all of the major candidates.

Before I write a book, this is the list of questions and comments addressed in the meeting...great food for thought and content for future posts:

• How will MSM cover social media discussions/comments?
• How does usage and messaging differ amongst social media channels?
• When do you "ignore" the little guy or not answer/accept comments?
• Can social media tool usage translate into votes?
• How can politicians use social media tools to build their brands?
• "Tools can only be successful with activists." (ref. Howard Dean)
• How does social media evolution compare to the past MTV Rock the Vote Campaign?
• When building a community, "hide the post button." (I had never heard this phrase.)
• Talk tactical not theoretical in social media messages.
• What are the political party social media differences?
• Does social media give rise to a viable third candidate?
• Social media is about changed behavior.

The only known is that there are unknowns.

Other SMC Dallas February topic posts:

• Advertising Ourselves to Death - Sunni Thompson: Mind the Generation Gap
• Stronger Teams - Blaine Collins: Is Social Networking of the Generation or in the Genes? and Social Media Club Discusses Tools and Votes