What impact will sites like Facebook and YouTube have in the EP elections?
Networking sites like Facebook and YouTube are changing politics. Barack Obama used them convincingly in the marathon US campaign to mobilise support. We asked a group of e-savvy MEPs what they intend to do online for the European elections in June. Is the internet reviving or undermining representative democracy and does internet campaigning make YOU more or less likely to vote next time?
In Europe 60% of households have access to the internet - a phenomenon that could change politics.
“My voters expect me to give them daily feedback”
The leader of the Liberals in the Parliament Graham Watson told us that he finds “Facebook is a great way of staying in touch with friends and supporters alike. Constituents use it to bring my attention to local issues, and fellow politicians employ it to float ideas and to network.”
On the future use he was positive: “E-technology is bound to feature prominently in future election campaigns in Europe. It gives us the possibility of communicating in a more accessible and informal way, of taking out the middle man.”
There was a similar response from Danish Socialist Dan Jørgensen who said, “I invest quite some efforts in communication through Facebook and my webpage. And I will intensify these efforts in the run-up to the election.” He added, “It is worth the effort: I reach new voter groups in new ways.”
Blogs are another way of getting a message across. At 32, Swedish Christian Democrat Christofer Fjellner is the second youngest MEP in the Parliament. “My voters expect me to give them daily feedback on my activities, he said: ”If my voters do not understand what I am doing, it is me who has to communicate it better.“
I blog therefore I am...?
The first Member to have a blog was Richard Corbett of the British Labour party. He believes that ”As MEPs we are more distant from the citizens than national or local politicians...It is therefore great to have means on top of the traditional media for citizens to access my views.“
Green MEP Monica Frassoni is also positive about the future - ”new technologies can help to increase active debate and participation“ she said.