In the last few election cycles, we saw new technologies and platforms added to parties’ election campaign toolboxes. Some tools may be neat while others may be dirty, some may become permanent additions while others might prove to be fads. Regardless, there is no reason why the next general elections will not see the use of previously not used tech in Pakistani elections.
For a past example, consider the 2018 general election: this was the first election since the launch of 3G and 4G mobile internet service in Pakistan and when smartphones were cheap enough to be in everyone’s hands. With these prerequisites in place, it was the first election in Pakistan that saw widespread use of WhatsApp for campaign messaging. Over time, that messaging is now largely in the hands of supporters. The messages include a mix of facts, memes, misinformation, and everything in between. In the coming elections it is safe to say that the messages traveling over WhatsApp will be accompanied by TikTok video clips. TikTok’s worldwide user base has grown from 133 million worldwide in 2018 to one billion in 2021 and saw enthusiastic uptake in Pakistan.
Twitter Spaces are something I wrote about in greater depth in these pages a few weeks ago (‘A Twitter townhall’, April 15, 2022). Spaces are a feature that Twitter added last year. Spaces are forums in which hosts assign (and reassign) virtual microphones to participants, of which there can be thousands, elevating them to ‘speakers’. Speakers can...
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