Campaigning online: The good, the bad, and the Filipino millennial

CEBU, Philippines - It only took one Facebook post to gather 120,000 people to Luneta Park in one week to protest against the pork barrel. It took only one hashtag to set a world record of the most number of tweets generated in 24 hours - 41 million.   

These movements, #MillionPeopleMarch in 2013 and #AlDubEBTamangPanahon in 2015, all happened in the virtual world governed primarily by social media. This is the world, populated mostly by "millenials" who comprise the biggest chunk of the voting population,the modern-day politician hopes to conquer to win the May 2016 polls.

The Pew Research Center defines millenials as those born after 1980 to the turn of the new millennium.

"When a candidate leverages this platform, they get to talk to their potential voters, forge loyalties, and sway voters to support them," says Fleire Castro, founder of Third Team Media, a Cebu-based digital agency.

"Fans now are more rabid due to them knowing how powerful social media can be," Castro says.

Data from the Internet and Mobile Marketing Association of the Philippines (IMMAP) released in 2015 showed close to 50 percent of Filipinos are now online. As of 2014, Internet users in the Philippines reached 38 million and may still increase dramatically because of the falling cost of Internet access and mobile devices.

IMMAP records also showed 22 million Filipinos accessed their Facebook accounts via their smartphones or tablet.

About two-thirds of Internet users in the Philippines are below 30 years old, the average age of majority of Filipinos registered in this year's elections.

No less than the Commission on Elections (Comelec) says youth voters will likely determine the results of the May polls.

"The youth vote is very significant. Those ages from 18 to 35 comprise about 37 percent of the entire electorate," Comelec Chairperson Andres Bautista told ABS-CBN last year.

"Put it in context. In 2010, President Aquino won with 15.8 million votes. So technically if 75 percent of the youth vote choose a particular candidate, that candidate will probably win," Bautista said.

There are 54,363,844 registered voters in the Philippines for the May 9 polls, of which 11,026,578 are ages 18 to 24.

Instant reach

Local candidates are not oblivious to these numbers. In Cebu, there are 517,796 registered voters ages 18 to 24.

In Cebu City, the two main political parties - Team Rama led by re-electionist Mayor Michael Rama and Bando Osmeña Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) led by returning candidate Tomas Osmeña - are taking advantage of the Internet.

While their campaigns are anchored primarily on traditional face-to-face approach, both camps admit the Internet, particularly social media, makes it easier for them to interact with and channel their message(s) to their target audience.

Team Rama, for one, has 40 "spokesmen" on the Internet, most of whom have long been friends with Rama when he was still vice mayor in 2001, says his campaign consultant Aniceto "Abbey" Canturias.

On Facebook alone, Team Rama reportedly has more than 76 volunteers in public interest groups such as "Pulitika sa Sugbo" and "Maghisgot Kita'g Politikasa Sugbo Bay" to participate in conversations and be aware of the netizens' temperature on issues.

Canturias says Team Rama candidates maintain at least one Facebook page and are encouraged to participate in online chats and discussion boards.

Most of the candidates favor Facebook in engaging with supporters online but Team Rama as a whole  also makes use of other platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Instagram.

They also interact with netizens via Facebook messenger, Skype, and Viber through which they have reportedly engaged with over 146,000 Cebuanos within the country and abroad.

To widen their reach, Team Rama has also tapped the blog sites PhilNews.ph, KickerDaily, and TenMinutes.ph.

Rama tells The Freeman a team maintains his Facebook account, which has already generated 81,922 likes. He says he coordinates with the team regularly to give his inputs on what he wants to put out and how the team should engage with netizens.

Osmeña, like Rama, also maintains a Facebook page. In a post on November 26, 2010, he shared with followers a promotional video that showcases Cebu to investors. By April 2016, his followers have reached 208,679.

The page is managed by a staff but Osmeña says all materials must have his approval and must be aligned with his policy statements before they are released online.

The Internet also became instrumental in gathering supporters through the website, tom4tomorrow.com, which was reportedly created by volunteers, composed of students, lawyers and even jeepney drivers and senior citizens.

“To those who helped inspire this website, thank you! We would have never thought of this without you. To those who are joining us, thank you! Let's make Cebu City #1 again,” Osmeña writes on Facebook.

Like Rama and Osmeña, Governor Hilario Davide III sees the crucial role the Internet plays in his campaign to retain the governorship. The administrator of his Facebook page, JM, says candidates should not underestimate the power of millennials to influence their peers, even their parents, in the election.

JM asked that The Freeman not disclose his real identity as he might become a subject of attacks.

He says that more than pushing for political agenda, it is necessary for candidates to go online so they will be aware of the issues netizens are talking about.

To understand what they think and feel about these issues, he says it is important for a candidate to have a grasp of how netizens, especially the millennials, express their sentiments - through text, photos, videos, and memes.

Techtarget.com says a meme "could be just about anything that is voluntarily shared, including phrases, images, rumors and audio or video files."

JM shares the team began posting materials online a few weeks ahead of the campaign period, which started last March 25 (for local candidates). During the campaign proper, the social media team reinforces efforts by documenting the activities in the field and posting real-time updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

The governor's Facebook page, Hilario P. Davide III (Junjun), has 8,502 likes.

JM says the team operates without a physical office and utilizes a system that would allow them to discuss strategies online.

Aside from organic posts (or posts the user himself generates), JM says the team also shares posts of legitimate news organizations and monitor these sites so that Davide and other candidates in the Liberal Party will be aware of and answer the issues thrown at them.

Echoing JM's sentiment, Davide's opponent, Winston Garcia of One Cebu, believes social media is mutually beneficial to both the voter and the candidate.

"Crowdsourcing the voice of the people, their feedback, will help us understand what our people need and re-direct public servants in what they must do for the people," he tells The Freeman.

Like the other candidates, Garcia says social media is an effective platform in sharing his campaign programs and visions for the province.

He says campaigning online has liberated candidates from the constraints of traditional media, time, and reachability.

Garcia maintains a Facebook page, Winston Garcia, which has generated 16,346 likes. One Cebu Party has its own page with 4,074 likes.

Garcia says he uploads videos of his campaign on YouTube that his supporters can share on social media. The challenge among the social media platforms, he says, is Twitter because of its 140-character limit.

Drawback

Candidates agree going online is no longer just a campaign option but they are also one in saying the Internet has its own disadvantages - the user is vulnerable to attacks.

"No one can control what gets put out on the Internet," Garcia says, adding, he finds it hard to believe that some users would even go as far as creating bogus accounts just to be able to post negative comments.

"This is dangerous because cyber-bullying tends to mislead people from the truth, especially when mob-mentality kicks in and sways public perception towards one direction," he says.

Facebook, for one, he says, is "inundated with satirical or falsified information that makes it difficult for the common user to distinguish fact from fiction."

Canturias agrees.

"Rama's critics and enemies abound only in FB," he says.

He says the common reservation among members of Team Rama about using social media is that they are prone to personal attacks by the so-called trolls.

The urban dictionary defines an Internet troll as "A person whose sole purpose in life is to seek out people to argue with on the Internet over extremely trivial issues." 

Often, trolls use fictitious accounts.

Canturias says Team Rama's social media handlers are advised to reply decently to objective and/or neutral comments and ignore condemning posts.

"Sometimes we're led into confronting them tit for tat. But we often leave their negativity to their own decline," he says.

If only to avoid harassment, Canturias says Team Rama members are advised not to go online especially on election day.

Rama himself asserts the need for decency and believes that going online is a test of maturity, a revelation of character.

"We cannot be overconfident but we should be mindful. When you throw words, you cannot take it back," Rama says.

He says, nevertheless, that he will not tolerate lies to be spread because “these lies, if not being attended to, can constitute truth.”

Joey Daluz, a candidate for councilor under Team Rama, says social media should be an avenue for intelligent discussion, not mudslinging.

"Grabe ang binastosay, wa'y basis but just to damage the person," he says.

"Kun mopatol ka sa mga bashers, you are a loser. Di man pud sila maminaw sa imong arguments. You will always be wrong kay closed na ilang mind," he contends.

Dummy accounts have reportedly been created to spew libelous statements at Team Rama, says Daluz. In this context, being online "will be more a disadvantage to you than an advantage," he says.

JM shares the sentiments and says social media can be a window of opportunity for the enemy to attack but even negative publicity is still publicity. The challenge, he says, is how to respond to the attacks.

"In social media, dialogues are free and we can never get away with negative comments from supporters of the other camp. The more we are being talked about, the better. The challenge is how to respond to ranting in a positive manner," JM says.

He says Davide himself reminds his social media team to refrain from making negative remarks and, as much as possible, to keep posts positive.

Osmeña, for his part, would rather choose to ignore. "If there is malice, just let it go. It is just a waste of energy," he says.

Meeting halfway

Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza, who is also seeking another term, was also hesitant to go online at first for fear of being attacked, especially after she witnessed online bickering on the city government's Facebook page reportedly instigated by trolls, says her media consultant Jonji Gonzales.

In fact, Gonzales says, it took Radaza some time to finally decide to create her own Facebook page. When she won as mayor, Radaza created the official Lapu-Lapu City Facebook page, the Lapu-Lapu City Government, which now has 35,456 likes. The page is manned by young resident-volunteers.

She has required department heads at City Hall to answer within 24 hours allegations or questions online so that issues can be clarified immediately.

Gonzales says Radaza can take pride of the fact that she came up with a platform of government based on conversations with netizens.

When she decided to run again, Radaza herself took the initiative to go digital even before the campaign started because she realized she could engage more with her constituents there.

Radaza's Facebook page was created in October 2015 and now has 5,861 likes. It was later verified by Facebook as an authentic page. She reportedly monitors the page personally but gives instructions to her online team on how comments should be responded to, as the objective is to create a "meaningful conversation".

"Before it comes out, she has to know and make sure sa iyaha gyud to gikan," Gonzales says.

Radaza's social media team produces videos, memes for her campaign and streams her caravan live online.

How it works

One of people behind Radaza's online campaign is social media celebrity Rowell Ucat, popularly known as Medyo Maldito.

He tells The Freeman that while the Internet may be an effective tool in channeling a message, it is important that the message itself is clear. If the message is clear, it is easier to work on the material's creative aspect, he says.

He says a post, may it be a photo, meme or video, has the potential to go viral if it is relevant to the target audience.

"A content that can give them a reason to connect with our brand… social media is like an electronic word of mouth, so if you have a content that is interesting and has the potential to be viral, it will spread like wild fire," he says.

With just his mobile phone, Ucat creates content for three hours, from shooting, editing, to uploading online. One material he produced reached 2.5 million people.

He might have lent his talent and popularity to candidates, including Rodrigo Duterte and Alan Peter Cayetano, but Ucat tells The Freeman he only works with those he believes in.

"Just like with the brands, you can't promote something that you haven't tried. Because if it won't work and people believed in you, they will bash you and will no longer trust you," he says.

Like Ucat, graphic artist Michael Gabriel Chiu is helping politicians create online campaign materials but unlike the former does not necessarily endorse the candidate. He chose not to disclose his political clients.

To come up with an effective material, he says it is important to consider both the candidate's and the artist's perspectives. Once a concept is in place and depending on the client's resources, he says he can create content in four hours.

His advice to politicians? Post accomplishments online and keep the posts positive.

Millenials

Cebu Normal University student Leo Garciso says a candidate should focus on honest online campaign rather than using trolls against their rivals. He says candidates must deliver their political messages in such a way that could help young voters like him make firm choices.

Trolls, he describes, are "attention-starved and narcissistic" and should be ignored.

Jesamari Brosas, a student of Negros Oriental State University (NORSU), shares the sentiment. She says trolls always find fault in posts and often fuel spats online.  

"They would be the ones to twist the mood. They are really brave behind the screens and seem to know everything when in fact they don't," she says.

Brosas says she makes sure to check the comments on political posts to understand the material in its entirety. She says comments, at times, are more informative than the actual post. She says memes do not necessarily dilute the credibility of the message and actually make it more entertaining.

Turnout

In The Dragonfly Effect, Jennifer Aaker and Andy Smith say US President Barack Obama won the elections through social media but won it with a strong message.

"The campaign didn't simply create a Facebook fan page and a YouTube account and expect things to take off: they created an energy of involvement, of participation, and a sense of purpose in their supporters, each of which was funneled through social networking technologies.  The medium wasn't the message, so to speak; it was the vehicle.  It connected real people, with real enthusiasm, in real time, and gave them an easy and accessible way to show their support for change.The Internet is said to be the game changer in this year's elections."

"The Obama campaign illustrated the massive, meaningful impact that social media can have on getting young people engaged and involved. Mybarackobama.com was not merely a website; it was a movement that made politics accessible through social media people were already using every day. It changed the face of political campaigns forever; but even more so, it made getting involved as easy as opening up an Internet browser and creating an online profile," they add.

Castro also explains that while a candidate's number of followers on social media shows loyalty and social proof, the impressions and reach of the campaign material matter more since these will show if the platforms resonate with the target audience.

The candidates themselves exercise caution, even apprehension.

"Social media has become global, but how many are registered voters in Cebu City? Of all of these going mobile, are they all registered voters in Cebu City?" Rama says.

Perhaps, as Garcia and JM would point out, the real test of a campaign's success online will be the votes cast on Election Day. — /JMO  (FREEMAN)