Facebook website. Micro-targeting voters isn’t just at the heart of British winner-takes-all politics - it has been happening here for decades. When we see stories in the media of people being targeted on Facebook and other social media, it is nothing new.
In 2015 just a handful of constituencies determined the result – a 12 seat majority for David Cameron. And with candidates only needing a plurality of the vote, the field of vision narrows. Parties know where their strongholds are and where undecided voters live. They spend most time and effort in the handful of hyper-competitive seats.
In this election, targeting is being taken to a new level of sophistication. Combining highly personal demographic data with social media behaviour, they evaluate voters through a psychological lens. They are honing their communications to new levels.
