Social media - a two-edge sword in political campaign: the case of the Republic of Moldova

Abstract

Social media, as interactive technologies, have given people unprecedented possibility to access information about elections and electoral contestants, to publicly express their opinions, interact with candidates, and get actively involved in electoral campaigns. This disruptive set of tools that allows and encourages individuals to engage in all stages of the political process, has become a powerful mechanism for political campaigns, in building and enhancing communication strategies.

The use of social media in politics dramatically changed the way campaigns are run. Social media provide useful platforms for electoral contestants, inclusively for those with limited resources, to present their agenda and mobilise a larger support base for their causes, at substantially lower costs. They offer the possibility for creation of shareable content that candidates and supporters can use to increase awareness, engage the targeted groups, and appeal for votes. However, the changes in the production and consumption of election-related content also raise a number of concerns that question the effectiveness of electoral rules, in their current form.

The aim of this paper is to underline the potential problems which have emerged and have been aggravated with the shift of political propaganda during election campaigns onto social media and identify safeguard measures that may be set in place to prevent abuse of the political process.