Mobile technology will arguably go down in history as the most successful innovation of our lifetime.
Mobile devices, especially phones, are ubiquitous in large parts of the world.
On the African continent, the rates of mobile phone ownership and accessare rising exponentially.
Many organisations have recognized the opportunities this presents.
Political parties are no exception.
South Africa is no exception.
These included SMS, MMS, political party apps, mobile voice calls and social networking sites.
The same has been true in the months and weeks leading up to the 2019 national and provincial elections.
This sort of online interaction with the electorate is important.
Researchhas shownthat it promotes critical political skills.
Among these skills are the ability to acquire political information and engage in political discourse.
Online interaction also reinforces voters perception of parties competence.
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This suggests political parties that plan to keep using mobile campaigning should proceed with caution.
These findings provide important guidelines for reducing voters resistance to political mobile marketing campaigns.
For instance, parties should prioritize permissive marketing strategies explicitly asking people to opt in.
Obtaining consent is one way to foster a positive reception from voters.
Privacy fears
Formy study, I surveyed 971 people.
The average age of the sample was 27.
I asked respondents to evaluate their perceptions of online and mobile political marketing campaigns.
The participants were concerned that political campaigns directed at them via their mobile devices threatened their digital privacy.
Another finding was that voters highly value and desire their privacy.
They became irritated when they received unsolicited political messages.
Finally, the people I surveyed were not impressed by the actual content of mobile political campaigns.
They found the messages exaggerated and confusing.
First, they must possess a reasonable understanding of how the political system works.
Second, they must perceive that their participation would make a difference in the political process.
In South Africa,evidence suggeststhese conditions are on the decline.
Invasive, confusing and unwelcome mobile campaigns will not help to rectify this situation.
In fact, they may serve to drive voters further away.
It will almost certainly continue to command center stage in political communication for the foreseeable future.
Political parties should take heed of peoples concerns and complaints about this method, and adapt their approach accordingly.
