How would
you inspire and mobilize India's youth to vote in the Indian General Elections
2014 using social mobile apps?
How would I?
Before
running into my lecture on how we can tap the youth force to vote in the
country’s general elections, I propose that we analyse the youth psychology and
psychographics attached to this segment. If you want to get the youth in your
fold, you need to work them, just like big and small brands in the market beginning
with underwear to nail polishes to denims and sneakers do.
Selling India
to its youth is not so much of a difficult proposition but getting them to vote
is a slightly more painful job. The primary reason being they don’t feel any
compelling reason to go vote. Indian kids are brought up around red tapesim,
told to keep quiet, not have opinions, to listen to elders - including having others
decide on careers for them. Voting is a responsibility – like flushing the
toilet after you use it. It is a right – like demanding pocket money.
While young
minds are adaptable, trainable and inspirable, what is important to know is
that they are also overloaded with information. They see, listen to, speak and
process information at the same speed. With social media usage at an all-time
high, to say we are in the right space at the right time would be more than
appropriate.
Young minds
are self-inspired. So to kick start the campaign is getting people to voice
their opinion in a public forum – like twitter and facebook. They need to be made
to come forth with what they feel from within, they need to be made to identify
the issues surrounding them politically, economically, in education, science,
environmentally and take a stand. Different forums will be formed, discussions,
arguments and resolutions will follow. That will give them the courage to speak
their mind, form opinions, get opinions, and get together. Step 1, over.
Step 2: As with
any cause, what is most important to make them torch bearers of the change they
want to see; to be prepared to fight for their cause. Social media needs to cleverly
bring together these youngsters in to physical groups/gatherings wherein they
will meet others who have been only sharing their online lives. Talks by those
who matter in the real world, sharing of ideas and stressing on the fact that
only voting will make any difference to all their talks and efforts this far
should be driven in. Every participant needs to plug in and create and group
even while the conference is in progress with his absentee friends and others
on his friends list and create buzz about the conference and the resolutions –
in short each participant will become an online ambassador for our cause - inspiring
and mobilizing India's youth to vote in the Indian General Elections 2014. Social
media being social media, thoughts ideas and discussions will be shared,
commented on, retweeted and a bigger buzz created. Leaders will emerge. They will
lead further campaigns with smaller forces. Eventually, winding down to the
d-day #VoteForIndia will lead by inspiring all to flock to polling booths and
getting the ink down on their nail.
Target achieved.
And this is
how I will do it.
This blog post is written for an indiblogger contest in association with #Voteforindia and @WeChatIndia
