‘Digital is the future’.

It’s a sentence we hear a lot, and as a young person making their first foray into the world of communication and campaigning, it certainly feels like the direction of travel.

This is exciting. There are new opportunities. We can reach new audiences, on scale, and engage with young people who wouldn’t otherwise answer the door.

But with these opportunities, come dangers. Online spaces can detach us from reality. We can embed ourselves deep within our echo chamber, and label anyone outside a ‘Reform bot’. We don’t have to look people in the eye anymore.

All of these problems, of course, you’re already aware of. How do we solve them?

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That is the question the party’s digital team has been asking, while training up a new generation of social media campaigners. This is called the For You Project (FYP), and I am one of those campaigners.

Over six weeks, my cohort was taught by some of the sharpest minds at 411 on how to campaign effectively online. In that time, I have grown my platform from 0 views to 350,000. And over less than 12 months, the FYP has reached multi-millions.

Inside the For You Project

I had never created social media content before, and had only dipped my toe in door-knocking in Makerfield. If I’m honest, canvassing felt terrifying, with new acronyms like ‘CLP’, ‘NEC’, and ‘NPF’ ambushing me every day, along with the odd flyer thrown back in my face.

So joining my first FYP session, I was intimidated to learn that my peers once again included charity experts and soon-to-be councillors. But as the session began, intimidation soon gave way to excitement, and the instinct that I was about to be part of something that could really make a difference. 

After introductions, we started discussing the forms of content we could make. They ranged from face-to-camera content (me!), carousels, and for the master editors: edits. Whatever skillset you had, there was a way to campaign.

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Not only that, but the scheme reached members from all over the country. Gone are the days of having to commute to Westminster, or lucking out with a local by-election. There’s a fantastic tribe of us northerners, and some great localised content being made. So what’s not to love?

A few caveats 

Honestly, it’s hard to think of negatives. A better word might be ‘caveats’, as there are a lot of traps that seem easy to fall into. 

First, we must remember the purpose of campaigning, which in my mind, is conversation. Social media, after all, is not about listening – it’s about promoting. And in the endless chase of views, likes and followers, it can be tempting to try and foster a community of carbon copies of yourself. This is a danger the FYP team are clearly aware of, and something they have reiterated across many sessions.

Second, there comes the inevitable challenge of the project being run for the Labour party. If someone identifies your account as a Labour puppet, then you may have lost much of the battle already. It brings you back to square one: the carbon copy community. But then, if you obscure your ties to the party, it can feel deceptive somehow. It seems to me that there is an ethical discussion to be had here, if digital campaigning is to continue to rapidly grow.

I also have my own criticisms of the party, as everyone does (yes, you do) and want my platform to be honest about that. Luckily, the FYP is very non-restrictive, so long as you don’t promote Reform!

And third: mental health. If someone insults you at the doorstep, you can walk away. Online, you can’t. The worst comments I have received would not be publishable here. A personal favourite is: ‘you are a weak and feeble girly man’. Fortunately, I find this quite entertaining. But there is potential for every hyper-personal attack you could imagine, and that could have a serious effect on future cohorts. Again, the FYP are all over this, with a range of highly approachable team leaders from various backgrounds.

Not a replacement but a supplement for canvassing

I arrive at the conclusion that digital campaigning is not a replacement for canvassing, but a valuable supplement to it. The accessibility and scalability is endless, and Labour’s superpower has always been the unparalleled strength of its grassroots. The team is fantastic, intelligent, and above all friendly. And while the time taken to knock on someone’s door is irreplaceable, the strongest campaigns don’t replace conversations. They create them.

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