…Social Media manifestos and promises

IN Ancient Greece, there was the creation of a law that compelled citizens to participate in democracy by voting; those who refused to vote were publicly labelled ‘idiot’. The word idiot has made its way into our modern lexicon as a generic reference to someone who is stupid or lacks basic intelligence, someone prone to making foolish decisions. Today, this label can be self-imposed if citizens do not arm themselves with information which is easily accessible in this information age.

In modern democracies, non-participation in the voting process is becoming fashionable; voter apathy is regrettably being glorified, especially in countries that are devoid of legislation that punishes those who refuse to exercise their franchise. The solution ought not to be to withdraw from the process; citizens should seek to develop critical minds. The simple ability to question information being received can arm citizens with a powerful weapon that can protect them from snake oil salesmen, demagogues and charlatans.

Social media is ground-zero for electioneering and campaigning in the modern era. Citizens walk head down in zombie-like fashion, focused on the coloured screens with videos, pics and message. This opportunity is seized upon by political parties. Information can be manipulated; there are fake videos, fake pictures, fake news articles, fake websites and a host of manipulative manoeuvres designed to trick. In 2018, social media was used to influence elections in at least 18 countries, according to the democracy advocacy group, Freedom House. This civil society organisation documents how Russia and China have created virtual internet armies with ‘Bots’ and ‘Algorithms’ that are programmed ‘opinion shapers’. This means these countries can design programs that can scout the internet activities of citizens from any country, create fake profiles that are computer-generated and these can comment and post, based on the issues being highlighted from a particular geographic area. The best defence against this is to keep an open mind and question every bit of information being received.

A manifesto is public declaration, intentions, views, vision and plans by a political party. The word Manifesto is derived from the Italian word, Manifesto, which has its etymological roots in the Latin word, Manifestum. It is that beautifully designed document with grandiose plans and proposals that set out to entice voters. Few read them but they are amplified through social media and other channels of communication, snippets and punchlines appear on posters. For example, a Manifesto may say: ‘We will create 50,000 jobs in our first 100 days in office’. The words are there to razzle and dazzle, the critical mind ought to ask for a clear plan and road map to these jobs. In most cases, demagogues cannot back up these claims and when they are pressed by thinking people, the responses are usually verbal somersaults to get out [of] a difficult situation.

The good old promise. From time immemorial, ever since the art of politics appeared in Athens, the politician has relied on the spoken word to ignite the imagination of the people. Based on the fact that the Guyana elections will be the most important in our modern existence, expect the promises to be unprecedented. Voters must know, promises are only as good as the track record and the character of those making these promises. This is all the critical mind needs to consider.