By next Tuesday night Warwick voters will have chosen between an incumbent mayor who has the backing of the Democratic Party and more than $165,000 in his campaign war chest, and an independent challenger who is known for his digital Christmas light display and community activity. Both candidates have blanketed the city in signs. Mayor Joseph Solomon has sent out mailers and has an advertising schedule. Independent Frank Picozzi, who has a meager budget for advertising, is campaigning heavily with social media, in particular, Facebook.

Can it get him elected? Picozzi is confident in his Facebook skills, saying that his "reach on social media" and "name recognition" put him "in the driver's seat." Picozzi believes that social media and politics are a natural connection, viewing Facebook as a great way to keep people informed. "Typically politicians don't like to inform people, but people like to know what's going on in government," he said in a recent interview. Professor Maureen Moakley, a faculty member in the Political Science department at the University of Rhode Island, shares Picozzi's optimistic views of his campaign. While she acknowledges that running as an independent against an incumbent is a "long shot", she believes that using social media is the most constructive way to get his ideas out to the voters. "Social media is an incredible way to go beyond the establishment, in other words, provide an opportunity for more popular opinions," says Moakley. However, Moakley also pointed out that relying solely on social media would "take something away from the political process," which she defines as a "social medium."

Shaping the future of politics

Campaigning is a combination of personal activities, like door knocking, rallies, and meet and greets, that just aren't safe in this COVID world. Moakley notes that social media is a positive opportunity" to shape the future of politics to a level beyond the usual activities. William Muto, a member of Mayor Solomon's communications team, spoke on behalf of Solomon's reelection campaign. According to Muto, social media allows politicians to "relatively easily reach a very broad and diverse group of people." He believes that social media allows for groups of constituents to be heard, when normally their voices would get lost in politics. According to Patti Doyle, owner of the public relations firm Patti Doyle Communications, it is "crucial" that candidates consider social media a top priority when campaigning. Candidates can engage viewers right away with what Doyle calls "media snacks": photos and videos that capture the user's attention. These tasty little bites are critical to building a platform, as visual media is a key way to attract attention. Picozzi, through his frequent text posts, brings voters into the conversation one post at a time, whether it's about pizza toppings on the community Facebook pages, or about lawn signs on his campaign page. In a game of show and tell, Picozzi tells his constituents about what he's up to through text post after text post, while Solomon shows his community actions.

Sharing images

Solomon shares images and snapshots of himself in action around the community. The pictures offered up on Mayor Solomon's Facebook page bring a sense of togetherness even to those who weren't there in person. If you missed the Save the Bay clean up or couldn't be with the firefighters to honor fallen heroes, Solomon's Facebook photos capture his audience's attention with visual media. Recently, Mayor Solomon has been highlighting the citys accomplishments under his administration through archival photos and videos shared to his Facebook page. A benefit to social media campaigning, especially in this pandemic, is the establishment of community. Picozzi offers an unfiltered version of himself on social media.

"People are tired of dirty politics, they're looking for something different," said Picozzi. By writing and publishing his own posts, Picozzi connects to voters on a genuine and authentic level that can't always be found on social media. In a long Facebook post published on September 18, Picozzi discloses personal history and opens up in a moment of vulnerability. From the posts about family photos in the campaign office to apologies for spelling mistakes, Picozzi is humanizing his political pursuits. What Mayor Solomon posts is a polished version published by a team, made up of individuals from both City Hall and the Mayor's campaign. Muto explains this team confers on posts for social media. "If there is an official post on policy, the Mayor's team that directs that area provides a fact sheet that is used to communicate to constituents."

A benefit of running as a candidate versus running as the incumbent is that Picozzi doesn't necessarily have to answer to questions of policy just yet. This is why the Mayor has a media team: to streamline communications to provide accurate and relevant (and sometimes entertaining) information to voters. Representative Joseph McNamara, chair of the RI Democratic Committee, may not like Facebook personally, but found it was "a surprising way to meet people and explore assets of the community that are previously overlooked," especially when it comes to campaigning. McNamara pointed out that while the pandemic has definitely stalled some aspects of campaigning, nothing beats "being out in the community."

Dangerous trolls

Despite the community building aspect of social media, both McNamara and Picozzi voice the same concerns about the shortcomings of social media campaigning: trolls.

These aren't the creatures found under bridges, but instead individuals hiding behind the anonymity of the internet. According to McNamara, the "cohorts of individuals that say things on social media that they would never say in person," is a downside to using Facebook as a campaign platform. Picozzi echoes these sentiments, stating that while he's met a lot of nice people, he's also interacted with those who stir up trouble. Professor Moakley shares these ideas, stating that while social media "gives people a popular voice to go beyond elite narratives, it also allows extreme groups to promote false ideas and conspiracies." Another challenge to social media, according to Muto, is the standards to which the Mayor is held. "He is held to a higher standard when it comes to using social media for campaigning purposes -- he has a responsibility to inform citizens without being political, and to always be honest and forthright. He must adhere to a higher standard for the sake of his constituents, while someone who is just a candidate does not carry that weight." Muto also points out that a shortcoming to social media is that it can easily be used as a vehicle for misinformation. Once misinformation is posted on social media, it can be a long and difficult road to setting the story straight.

What about the old ways?

What about the tried and true politicking strategies that have gotten so many into office before? According to Doyle, it's best for candidates "to reach constituents on every possible platform. Direct mail is still so important because there is still an audience that likes to receive information that way. Candidates should be inclusive in their programming."

Professor Moakley echoes Doyle. "I don't think [social media] is enough. There will always be that personal dimension to political campaigning." Moakley doesn't want to see a world where "no one walks around and sees people". While Facebook and other social platforms may be the highway to political office, candidates shouldn't forget about citywide mailing or other, more traditional, ways of campaigning. Facebook is only one part of the campaign equation, says Muto. Picozzi sees the old political playbook as something of the past. He believes that while citywide mailing is important, "75% of people will throw it in the bin, but they will watch a Facebook video instead."

Since the Warwick Beacon posted the introductory videos for each candidate on Facebook, Frank Picozzi's video has received over 11,400 views, while Mayor Solomon has received about 2,900 views. This is largely in part to Picozzi's sharing and reposting of his video. He is using the power and reach of social media to his advantage. The power of social media was evident when the Warwick Public Library and the Beacon co-hosted the Mayoral Debate on Oct. 6. 2,000 residents tuned into the Facebook Live video, leaving nearly 1,000 comments in the span of an hour. As of Tuesday, the debate video has reached 9,300 views and close to 1,100 comments.

Because the debate was streamed on social media, the candidates had a chance for their views on more than 30 questions, ranging from what to do about the vacant school buildings, how to support local small businesses, their opinions on supporting sewer installment contracts, and how to make T.F. Green Airport a better neighbor, to reach a wide and diverse audience. Solomon's campaign recognizes that old ways of campaigning simply aren't safe in the light of COVID, but Muto points out that they are still using traditional methods of campaigning like print media, mailings, and signs. Picozzi mentioned that there are 1,100 of his signs throughout Warwick. Mayor Solomon recently published a post that gives voters a variety of options to contact his campaign if they are interested in posting a sign on their property. Picozzi stands by his mission of positivity: "Let everyone campaign how they campaign, I'll do it my way. And I've gotten a lot of support for that."