Dr Ian Strachan: Support for DNA on Facebook may not equal votes
By LAMECH JOHNSON
tribune242
PROFESSOR and political analyst Dr Ian Strachan said the new Democratic National Alliance should not make too much of the strong support it has attracted on social media, as this may not translate into votes.
Dr Strachan, a newspaper columnist and associate professor of English at the College of the Bahamas, pointed out that even though 14 per cent of registered voters are under 24 - "and that is a good thing" - the traditional swing vote will remain the deciding factor come election day.
He said: "I know the youth vote is very important, but the swing vote is more important because it consists of a wide range of persons. The youth vote is more first time voters and my instinct is that at the end of the day, most young people will vote what their parents vote.
"In the end, when all the campaigning is going on, most young people will feel the pressure of their parents working along with these parties and they will vote based on how their parents vote."
Since the creation of the DNA's Facebook page in April, the party has already accumulated more than 2,000 "likes" from Bahamian Facebook users - more than the PLP and the FNM combined.
The PLP's page, created in July 2008, had attracted 1,504 "likes" as of yesterday afternoon, while the FNM page, created around the same time had only 475.
But Dr Strachan said the new party should be careful about how it reads these numbers.
He said: "I know Facebook is important. I know it reaches people but I still believe that Bahamians prefer that face to face interaction over the Internet. They like to argue and debate in person."
He agreed that DNA is the clear front-runner in the struggle to become the third force in Bahamian politics party, but said the fact that the party is creating excitement among young people could create a misleading picture.
"We know that the youth vote is very important and the support on Facebook speaks to a generational difference that exists. However, it doesn't mean you've won their vote.
"Major parties in the previous elections had concerts and other events to target young voters and they showed up, but did they vote for them?" he asked.
Dr Strachan added that the weak Facebook showing by the PLP and FNM could simply be the result of a lack of effort.
"I'm quite sure if they had tried they could have more - though it remains to be seen what the PLP and FNM's strategy will be in gaining more supporters on Facebook," he said.
However, according to DNA leader Branville McCartney, the party's Facebook fame is an indication that attitudes are changing.
He said: "It tells me that people are very hungry for change and they want to see a positive change in this country.
"Over the past five years, there has been an intellectual revolution that started with social media and with young people.
"Social media is the way of the future and our way of reaching the people - through our website, through twitter, through Facebook, YouTube. Social media is a form of communication. I used it in Bamboo Town and now we're using it for the DNA and it's working."
June 01, 2011
tribune242
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