Ontario's First Social Media Election

In the passed month, it has become quite evident that this years provincial election has evolved immensely. To keep up with society’s ever changing demands and social norms, it was vital that each party take part in online campaigning by using social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

With big changes come big questions.

• Is going door-to-door campaigning going to disappear?
• Will those who are not social media savvy suffer from lack of information?
• Is this change directed at targeting a younger audience and if so is it working?

CBC News Canada suggests that although the online discussion during the leaders debate on September 27 was lively, that there was a decline in student audience compared to that of the Federal election. Perhaps targeting social media does not mean targeting the population of young people in Ontario.

I want to be targeted!

I'll admit that when it comes to politics, I know the bare minimum. I can also admit that when it comes to social media tools, I also know the bare minimum. It scares me to realize that this years election caught on to Twitter quicker than I did and therefore I was left uninformed and un-included. So who's fault is it? Am I not doing my part in this society by failing to keep up, or are these campaigners failing to successfully target the youth?