The Deputy Commissioner’s office here would try to poke young indifferent voters to cast their ballot through its somewhat defunct Facebook page and effort would be on to make it “dynamic” – LOL.
The DC and his colleagues are trying to infuse innovation under the Systematic Voter's Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) programme and after tapping the potential of the conventional media; the free space of social networks to woo young voters seemed obvious.
Although the effort of DC, Sanjay Goyal maybe noble, he seems totally offline with the Facebookers who speak in a jargon as odd as the DC’s effort to make the FB page dynamic. Making the page dynamic… naah! Funky, yea!
The issue with the approach is that “dynamic” smacks of a bureaucratic jargon of the Baby Boomers (BB). So, ASAP a tightrope walk between dynamic and funky is needed so that both the BBs and Y generation go satisfied to bed at the end of the day.
What is therefore required is not an altogether tech savvy geek to administer the page, as FB is already a tech-driven apps, but a team who can deal with the content. A team which is techno-art savvy and speaks the language.
The emphasis on language in not altogether in the literal sense, but importantly on dealing with the language of aspirations of these future generation and giving them DIY projects so that they subscribe to the idea of tagging themselves to the democratic process and Nation building.
Under the SVEEP campaign during the last Assembly elections, the DC’s office carried out a number of awareness campaign to attract voters to come and cast their ballot. The activities included air balloons strung from different locations with messages to come and vote - LOL WUSS. There was also paragliding - OMG.
As one of the participating Campus Ambassadors or teacher from a prominent college pointed out that the efforts of the district administration maybe well-intentioned, but an air balloon with message and paraglider surfing in the stratosphere does not give feedback on the questions of voters’ cynicisms on the present system - BTW one balloon was untagged from PB.
“The young voters are disillusioned many of them about the present system and efforts to answer their questions do not come from such activities. The message to these indifferent voters must be that they can be part of the change by voting or the EPIC can be also used for other important purposes as identity cards etc., or similar healthy interaction through various modes” the academic ambassador said.
It is platforms such as FB that the Y generation are glued to and constantly demanding feedback to their ideas and opinionated minds. And if that feedback is not forthcoming they become restless and eventually “unfriend” whoever concerned.
The DC’s office also tried to attract the young voters by drawing graffiti on the walls of the city street. Would it be different if the same effort was taken to paint the walls of its FB page?
At the end of the day, MLAS does not necessarily mean Members of Legislative Assembly for the younger generation. It could also mean My Lips Are Sealed, similarly as LOL is Laugh Out Loud, ASAP As soon as Possible, DIY Do it Yourself, LOL WUSS Laugh Out Loud with a snorting sound, BTW By the Way.
