Digitally inept

In this highly digitized world, the search for voters and supporters at mass political gatherings is futile. Why? because first-time voters and party workers and supporters are sitting behind the shiny screen of their computers and mobile phones and using digital applications to learn more about political parties. They do not need any incentives to support a party, and all they ask for is transparency. The Institute for Research, Advocacy and Development (IRADA) in Pakistan has launched a timely report that highlights the inefficiency of the country’s mainstream parties to connect with its tech- and digitally savvy voter base. The report – ‘Parties Online: Digitally Inadequate Political Parties Compromising Democracy in Pakistan’ – concludes that the country’s oldest and newest parties all have “severe shortcomings in terms of political communication with citizens and supporters alike”. The report also points to the parties’ failure to be transparent about their policies and internal mechanisms. For example, a majority of parties do not share their constitution on their websites, giving no information to people about the way they operate (internal elections, etc). Most parties are less focused on having a strong presence on social media and rely on the individual following of their party leaders. This has to change, especially in a country where close to half of the eligible voters prefer not to participate in the electoral process (in the 2018 elections, the voter turnout was 51.7 per cent).

Traditional parties usually focus on the number of people they can gather at a political gathering. Seemingly never-ending rows of attendees is seen as a sign of success. But all such gatherings are one-sided, with leaders giving charged speeches to people whose sole purpose is to repeat the usual slogans. What is missing from such gatherings is meaningful discussions between voters and their leaders. We have seen in other democracies (mostly in the West) how leaders including presidential candidates used digital platforms to have one-on-one conversations with the electorate. They have conducted ‘Ask Me Anything’ (AMA) sessions to respond to people’s questions in an informal and friendly manner, building more trust among people, especially young voters.

Today, voters tend to turn to digital platforms including Instagram, TikTok, Telegram, Twitter, etc to gain a better understanding of current affairs and form their opinion. Political parties need to have a strong presence on these applications if they are to be more transparent about their policies and want strong support. The massive role of these platforms in dissemination of information can be gauged from the current example of the genocide in Gaza. Most people who were not well informed about the conflict have had a visible shift in their opinion after going through the content available on digital platforms. Voices from a besieged Gaza have also been amplified through social media applications. Pakistan’s political parties have to have a look at how these digital tools can help them build their narrative; they have to break away from the stubborn reluctance to adopt new ways. And instead of presenting themselves as the messiah, they have to conduct meaningful discussions with voters to listen to their grievances and come up with a shared plan to pull the country out of the current mess.