Online social media have
become increasingly popular and available, showing that “the ways in which
people communicate and share information have changed rapidly”.[1]
This profound transformation of the communications landscape has had an impact
on electoral processes, changing the channels used by citizens and voters to
obtain information, the EMBs’ communication strategies, and the platforms where
candidates present their political ideas and programs.
Social media can offer
men and women a space to exercise their right to freedom of expression and
participate in public life as committed citizens. It also offers women
politicians and candidates a platform to present themselves and their political
programs before citizens. Considering “its low cost and the role that personal
initiative plays in its use”, social media “can serve as an equalizer for
female parliamentarians who are otherwise politically disadvantaged”, having
the potential to advance women’s participation in politics.[2]
According to a 2013 European
Parliament study, new media has a potential positive impact on women’s
empowerment, allowing them to “network with other women, create on line selves
which build confidence, appeal to other women and peers through styles and
issues that are directly relevant and attractive, and provide alternative power
basis which might be of interest to mainstream politicians.” Online political
communication, especially through social media, allow politicians to have more
control over their own messages, and this works especially well for unelected
or young women, whose status makes them less likely to be constrained by the
political party apparatus.[3]
A 2016 survey carried out
by the Women in Parliaments Global Forum, Facebook and the Shorenstein Center
on Media, Politics and Public Policy of the Harvard Kennedy School, analyzed
the use of social media by female parliamentarians in 107 countries. Its
findings showed that more than 85 percent of female parliamentarians surveyed
make use of social media, especially during the campaign period. The findings
of this research include detailed information about most used online platforms,
most common audiences, as well as age, income and motherhood of women
parliamentarians using social media. Facebook was by far the most used
platform, being used by 90 percent of female parliamentarians surveyed. The
primary audience comprised voters, constituents and campaign teams, followed by
elite audiences, such as journalists and other politicians. Age and income seem
to be significant factors determining social media use, with a higher use among
respondents under 50 years of age and among those of very high or above average
income. Motherhood was not a factor determining social media use of female
politicians surveyed, since respondents with children were as active as the
rest. [4]
Effective use of social
media can help women candidates improve their communication strategies during
the campaign. Capacity building and training initiatives aiming at improving
social media knowledge and skills of women in politics can strengthen their
communication strategies and voter outreach plans.
Social media can also be
a hostile space for women in politics, with increasing attacks and very limited
restrictions to harassment, defamation and threats. Anonymity and impunity for
perpetrators of online violence against women makes it difficult to reverse
this trend, but certain communication strategies can help women respond to
online abuse. In March 2018, an Expert Group Meeting on “Violence Against Women
in Politics” was organized in New York by UN Women, the OHCHR and the Special
Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. The report
of this meeting gives account of the extent, nature and implications of online
violence against women politicians and presents existing approaches to prevent
and combat this kind on violence.[5]
Example: In Armenia, the Council of Europe provided social media
training for female candidates, with the purpose of “creating a pool of experts
[…] able to enhance knowledge and skills on social media for female candidates
to be used in 2016 local elections and to offer them individual coaching if
requested”. The initiative comprised a workshop on Women in Politics and
Representation Online, as well as a two-day Training of Trainers on
Understanding Social Media for Women Candidates. The topics addressed during
these activities included principles of social media, major social media sites,
social media strategy and measuring social media, among others.[6]
Example: In the United States of America, the organization
VoteRunLead provides candidate training for women from all political parties,
addressing online harassment, violence and trolling, among other issues. Its
CEO, Erin Vilardi, suggests communication strategies to deal with online abuse:
“report it to police if there are safety concerns, use humor if possible […]
and, lastly, find an opportunity to do something more long form, like writing
an op-ed about the incident”.[7]
Example: In Iraq, a series of defamation campaigns in social media
targeted women candidates in the 2018 parliamentary elections, as denounced by
the United Nation’s Special Representative of the Secretary-General (SRSG) for
Iraq. The SRSG urged political parties and other relevant stakeholders to fight
this harmful practice, which undermines electoral integrity and democratic
governance.[8]
