As a communication medium that has not been regulated by Ecuadorian law, social media’s role in election campaigns is set to balloon, experts say.

Facebook has, so far, had the most impact, the National Elections Council (CNE) found. During the Feb. 2013 general election, 1,280,539 people “liked” the candidate pages of the 10 presidential candidates - if Facebook users limited themselves to liking the candidate of their choice, and were registered voters, that number would have represented 11 percent of the electorate.

According to a study by Mexico’s national university, the UNAM, the most common users of social media in Ecuador are young people. 

Christian Espinoza, who leads social media workshops, says that since the Sept. 30 2010 police revolt local social media usage has seen an upswing among people looking for information.

Municipalities preparing for the 2014 sectional elections have already trained 200 people in social media managing and communications.

The 2014 election will be the first ones under Ecuador’s new Communication Law. The law regulates the mainstream media’s contents during elections, strengthening libel regulations and moderating content quotas (one candidate cannot receive disproportionate coverage compared to that given to others, for example).

Because the new law does not regulate social media, however, Espinoza anticipates many conversations will migrate there, instead. “Social media could even be used for smear campaigns or to skew public opinion poll results.”

Julio Téllez Valdés, from the UNAM, says those who have tried to regulate the Internet have failed. “Social networks aren’t just instruments of democracy, they can be used to overthrow dictatorial regimes.” And they can boost democratic participation.

Which, says Roxana Silva from the CNE, is her organism’s goal.

Original story