It’s everywhere you look; red and blue, yellow and green – and we’re not talking about colours of the rainbow – all fighting for your vote for tomorrow’s (8 June) general election.
As if we couldn’t get away from political bickering between parents and friends, papers and magazines, now our social media accounts have fallen victim too.
Snapchat Advertising
During Snapchat breaks, some users have been left watching political adverts instead. Almost all social media platforms are now being heavily targeted by political campaigns from the major parties.
Parties have been gathering age, location, and political views, or even ‘likes’ from Facebook, to tailor specific adverts to users. For example Conservatives have targeted many voters in key constituencies with anti-Jeremy Crobyn adverts to try and secure their vote.
Many YouTube viewers have also reported viewing Conservative adverts between videos in some of the safest Labour seats. Speaking with BBC Trending, voter Rosanna Lowe was listening to Georgian music before being interrupted with Tory adverts.
“It was like I was going mad,” she explains: “It was like I was trapped in some kind of Tory Groundhog Day.” BBC Trending has since crowdsourced that alongside BBC Newsnight and local radio adverts, political parties have spent a lot of money on Facebook adverts and digital campaigns on YouTube, Snapchat and other social media platforms.
Political Advertising
Paid-for political advertising on TV is banned in the UK but there are no specific laws when it comes to regulating political advertising on YouTube or other social networking platforms. It would seem we can no longer watch cat videos without being bombarded with political messages.
The advertising campaigns are out to promote each political party for tomorrow’s general election, where we could see a change in the entire political landscape. Young voters are said to hold the key to change in this election, this could explain the influx of social media advertising. But will it work?
Polling stations will be open from 7am tomorrow until 10pm for you to cast your vote – make sure your voice is heard.
