Greeks are voting in crucial elections which could have big consequences for the global economy, writes Alex Fitzpatrick.
Major political parties have framed the election in pro- or anti-bailout and Euro terms, turning the election into a referendum on debt-laden Greece’s economic future.
Official opinion polls are banned for two weeks leading up to elections in Greece, but unofficial polls indicate a rising support for pro-bailout parties. However, social media-using Greeks say just the opposite.
Social media analysis firm Crimson Hexagon looked at almost 33,000 opinions posted by Greeks on Facebook and Twitter about the elections, bailouts and the Euro in general from May 12 to June 5.
According to its report, of the 32 percent of Greeks talking about the three subjects discussing the Euro, 16 percent of them wanted to abandon the currency. Meanwhile, 13 percent of discussion around the Euro was neutral, while only 3 percent of discussion showed support for continuing use of the Euro.
Among the 28 percent of Greeks who used social media to discuss the Eurozone in general, 12 percent supported a Greek exit of the zone while 7 percent wanted to remain in the zone.
About 40 percent of Greeks talking economic politics during that time period debated political parties, with 16 percent of these commenters showing support for pro-bailout parties compared to 14 percent in favour of anti-bailout parties.
The margins are certainly close, and surely not all of Greek voters are using social media to talk about the elections. But if Greek Facebook and Twitter users had their way, it would seem anti-Bailout and anti-Euro parties would have a slight advantage during this weekend’s voting.
Thomas L. Blair is a sociologist and political blogger on the Chronicleworld 'for creative renewal in Black Britain and Afro-Europe'. His work is honoured in the British Library's archive of "social, historic and culturally significant web-based material from the UK domain". He won top prize in the blogging competition on The-Latest.
Sumantra Maitra is a freelance journalist from Mumbai, India. He is a correspondent for All Sports magazine, and a foreign affairs blogger for the Washington Examiner. He has written articles for news website Merinews.com and other regional publications. Sumantra runs a blog at DailyWorldWatch.wordpress.com. He provided exclusive eyewitness reports for The-Latest on the Mumbai bombings of 2008.
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