Election candidates reflect on negative social media

Online disinformation and threats made campaigning for Jersey's election challenging this year.

Re-elected Constable of St Peter, Richard Vibert said he thought "there was more negativity" on social media this time than during the last election in 2022.

Deputy of St Brelade, Gabriel Raimondo, said the online abuse he received "took its toll".

How did the us of social media affect the campaign, and those individuals standing for election?

Vibert said: "I don't know why there was more negativity but certainly it was apparent.

"I don't think that's good politics at all. There are candidates that will run somebody else down, or the contents of their manifesto".

Jersey's youngest politician, 18-year-old Raimondo, was the subject of a negative campaign on Instagram, thought to be set up by young people he went to school with.

Accusations on the account included that he had made offensive comments about women, and that he had been expelled from school, both of which he told the BBC were untrue.

He said the "big hate campaign" against him "took its toll", and that it included rumours and "hate comments".

"If somebody doesn't like you... they can put anything out under any sort of false account and it can do a lot of damage without actually having any facts behind it," he added.

Deputy Kirsten Morel also noted the "intense negativity" online and how people could hide behind "anonymous" posts.

"The cowardice of people... who are just throwing out rubbish and nastiness and insults," he said.

Deputy Lyndsay Feltham said "sound bites and misinformation had a big impact on this campaign" as Reform Jersey lost three seats.

Responding to a suggestion political groups may have been behind some of the online negativity, she said:

Deputy for St Helier South, Samantha Gleave, who endorses the Value Jersey priorities, said: "I try to keep my messaging very positive. For me it was about listening to the residents about what they needed and wanted rather than being critical of Reform."

During the campaign Gleave posted a video on social media, asking "How many Reform politicians does it take to change a lightbulb!" in reference to lights at Havre des Pas bathing pool having been out of order for some months.

She defended her post: "I never attacked anyone's morals or character or personality or intelligence. We need as a democracy always to be able to challenge ideas and policies, but it's how you do that," she said.

Emily Taylor, CEO of cyber intelligence company, Oxford Information Labs, said there were positives to social media in election campaigns as candidates could "really connect directly with their electorate".

"It's a very direct form of accountability and of relationship building. It allows communities of interest to form, to talk to one another, to communicate," she said.

Taylor explained the same sort of tools that enable people to find others who've got common interests can also be "exploited to polarise and nudge people into corners and pit people against one another".

She said: "The platforms have a role and that is recognised in law and supported by regulation in the United Kingdom with the Online Safety Act," something that Jersey has not adopted.

The Jersey Electoral Authority said it had received complaints in the run up to the election about "misinformation" and "attacks on individuals" and was "reviewing various websites and social media sources".

"The JEA is aware that there are some persons who are commenting online without respecting this requirement," it said.

Towards the end of the election campaign, the JEA issued public warnings urging voters to beware of election misinformation and misleading social media attacks.

It said: "Pause before you trust what you see. If you come across material that seems fake, malicious, or designed to mislead voters, you can report it."

In a statement the JEA said its code of conduct "makes clear candidates and their supporters should not 'share false or misleading information about the election, candidates or any group or body associated with the election'.

"Those who perpetrate falsehoods are not acting in the best interests of islanders and are ultimately harming the democratic process."

States of Jersey Police said it had not seen an increase in reports of incidents involving election candidates, but encouraged anyone who "experiences or witnesses behaviour that may amount to a criminal offence to report it to the police so that it can be properly assessed and, where appropriate, investigated."

More advice on online safety can be found on the force's website.

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