Where's the beef?

U.S. President Barack Obama's grassroots political campaign that
catapulted a once less known senator from Chicago to the highest office of the most powerful country in the world in just a few years may have set a precedent in the way political campaigns are being run today, not just in America but in other democratic countries as well.

Effective use of social media has been the key ingredient for Obama's successful campaign — both in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. The daily e-mail blasts, the viral YouTube videos, the Tweets, the Facebook posts were all effective tools the campaign used for its political messaging.

The Internet and various forms of social media are now a major — if not vital — battleground for political candidates in this 2013 national elections in the Philippines. This is very evident in the way these candidates are conducting their campaign. Go to any popular social networking sites and there's a good chance you will find many of these candidates. These new tools have provide an inexpensive platform for candidates to reach more voters.

There is no shortage of social networking activities for these candidates. What I feel is missing is the message. I find Rappler.com as a good source of news for what these candidates have been up to during this campaign season. And by the looks of it, not so much. There's not a lot of substance out there in terms of getting their agenda out and informing the public of what they plan to do for the country once elected.

These candidates' campaign teams may believe that with social media use, "the medium is the message." It's a concept popularized by Canadian philosopher of communication theory Marshall McLuhan, which means essentially that it's not what we say it, but how we say it that matters most. This is true, to some extent, but the medium still needs to carry some substance. Particularly true for the Internet realm, where people are bombarded constantly, and in real-time, with information from a wide range of sources and media vehicles.

In my next posts, I will be examining how these candidates are communicating their agenda to the voters over the Internet. Is there substance underneath all the social media blasts?

You can probably help me on this search. If you come across a Tweet, a Facebook post, YouTube video or any communication from this candidates via social media, let me know by e-mail or post a link on the Comments section.

Let's see if we can find out anything about the agenda of these political candidates through their social media posts and messages. The medium may be the message, but will the message stick?

Marshall McLuhan: The medium is the message