Yes, it was Theresa May’s first Facebook Live-stream session but was it really ‘ground-breaking’?
Although Theresa May’s Facebook Live session was the first time a prime ministerial candidate had ever taken questions from the public on Facebook, it wasn’t the first time a prime minister had taken part in a Facebook Live session. Just last year, as part of the EU referendum campaign, David Cameron, and other voices from both sides of the remain/leave camps, had given interviews on the live-streaming service.
And, in my opinion, it’s about time our government starts taking Facebook more seriously. With over 32 million user accounts in the UK, and the largest demographic being 20-29-year-olds, Facebook is THE social media channel to target for a younger audience.
But the way we’re ALL accessing information and communication is changing. It’s no longer just teenagers who check their smartphones in bed, a third of British adults have admitted to automatically reaching for their phone on waking up – and I’m one of them! ‘Tut tut’ I hear you say, but let’s be honest, we’ve all had that moment in the middle of the night where we’ve fought the desire to reach for our phone.
As technology and in particular, social media, continues to develop we’re going to see our UK politicians do more than just live-stream video to target and impress our young voters. And they need to do more to get the young voters to the polls. Eligible voters who lack interest in politics can easily avoid news coverage. But it’s not so easy to avoid targeted, social media coverage which has been designed for YOU.
Make sure you’re registered to vote – you’ve got until midnight tonight (22 May 2017) to register: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote.
