LOCAL COFFEE HOUSE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Right before the local elections, where the political world got more dynamic nowadays, it has been pointed out that the politicians, who opted to manage technology rather than use it in social media, would be more successful. The social media tools, which have major impact on our everyday lives, also attract the attention of today’s politicians. It was reported that the politicians, who try to use social media tools such as Facebook, twitter, etc. in their campaigns, would overtake their competitors if they managed these tools.
Burak Amirak, Lecturer at IUE Department of Public Relations and Advertising, who mentioned that “They were experiencing the socialization of the media”, said every generation of people, used social media efficiently. Amirak said, “Conversations that used to take place at local coffee shops now take place on social media. Politicians used to talk about their opinions, problems at local coffee shops. Now, this happens on social media. We will all experience it on the upcoming elections; candidates with vision who are sincere in their communications will be one step ahead”.
‘Volunteers make a difference’
IUE Lecturer Amirak, who reminded that the majority of the candidates belonged to a generation called ‘baby boomer’, a generation born between 1946 – 1964, should act with the understanding of “how can I use the social media effectively?” and “suffer less damage in this area?”. Burak Amirak stated that the real question should be how to manage the social media. He said, “The candidates should have their own army of volunteers. Sincerity is very important. Anybody, who uses social media, eliminates the ones they believe that are not sincere. They criticize severely and are sarcastic. Therefore, the candidates need to have their own followers and supporters. The candidates need to relay their visions to get supporters. People need to understand that the candidates share the same dreams. And they need to believe that these dreams have high chance of becoming real.”
‘If you can’t measure, you can’t win the election’
Amirak, who also mentioned that social media was prone to information pollution and misinformation, stated that the candidates should create their vision in a way to attract more people. He recommended that in order to reach big crowds, getting in touch with the people that the big crowds place importance to, was also necessary. Amirak said the following:
“Acting together with people creating a shared mind in some way enables reaching big crowds. Candidates think they use the social media but, they can only see the real results with measurement. How many people liked the message? What kind of comments was made? Were sincere answers provided for those comments? If there is not a measuring criterion, success cannot be achieved. A leader who does not measure, cannot manage, and if he/she cannot manage, cannot achieve success. We are in an environment where different types of groups exist. Symbols, icons play an important role. Furthermore, sincerity is important. You can get the mainstream media under control but cannot control the social media. You cannot get rid of digital footprints. At this point, building the message is extremely important. The candidates should come up with messages that people follow.”
