Where did the ‘Big society’ go?
27 Apr
As we draw ever closer to election day it is curious that the Tory vision of the ‘Big society’ has all but disappeared. This is by no means a party political broadcast on behalf of any given party but an examination of the idea of the Conservative proposed big society with reference to social media.
Why ‘Big society’ had all the hallmarks of a social media framework
The idea of empowering the many, the consumer, and not the centralised few was a brave vision to present. Going big on the YOU and actioning plans for what would essentially be social re-engineering was always going to be a tall order but I think it might work in some areas.
The lack of Tory social media use was a big indicator that the ‘Big society’ as a social governance framework was disingenuous, if not disingenuous, then certainly not executable with a ‘walk the talk’ conviction. It is widely accepted that ‘Call me Dave’ and co shun Twitter, despite an online savvy and rapid response predisposition to conducting online campaigning by buying up keyword slots on search terms.
Missed opportunities
This isnt to say that the other parties do social media – in particular, Twitter – any better. The lack of local level, voter engagement and policy discussion – or at least linking to personal MP blogs giving policy a lengthier going over – has been conspicuous by its absence. We still vote on paper; this is not a digital election. A few Photoshopped posters does not a digital election make.
Twitter has been overused by MPs as a biting back-channel, flooded with bickering or rallying prominent members of the media to look more favourably on one’s version of events.
The ‘Big Society’ ideal of buying out your local pub or intervening as a collective on failing schools has had very little mention during the TV debates and given the coverage the TV debates have had– or will have by the end of their run– that is a minimum of 9 days of campaign time taken up by the TV debates and you would be forgiven for thinking the ‘Big society’ manifesto launch was a utopian dream you once heard about and not a document of a tangible future society on offer for those with a vote and a genuine desire for genuine change. As an aside, the design of the Labour manifesto was more in keeping with the Conservative vision and yet the ‘Big society’ was presented in cold, lifeless bound copy.
Can social media enable the ‘Big society’
Lest we forget that Twitter is but a bit part in the bigger social media picture, it offers another direct route of access between the public and elected members of Parliament, Councils and other organisations. There is already a proven use of the web empowering anyone with an internet through the use of the various MySociety offshoots. Fixmystreet, Theyworkforyou and so on. These are all examples of where the barriers for engagement have been broken down and are making a difference in communities. The rise of Tweetminister, allbeit under-resourced and under increased scrutiny for fact-checking during the campaign period, it has added to the emphasis that social media absenteeism is a functional faux pas for any elected or wannabe elected candidate.
There are also examples of where existing government have tried to enable “the great ignored” and left them as so. The ability to generate a petition on the Number 10 website saw hundreds of issues fail to gain traction and even one of those that gained mass support was rejected outright for petitioning for Gordon Brown to quit as PM. The Facebookification of democracy is perhaps a democracy-lite oversimplification but the systems exist and the once vocal minorities now have a platform to have a voice.
There was real potential for the ‘Big society’ vision, enabling the public to direct their existence with a helping hand from passive Government and yet we are left with nothing more than a ‘Big Society’ little whisper.







