If you’re looking to figure out what issues the Toronto mayoral candidates are pushing, you could go to one of the social media platforms. The candidates are posting their key messaging on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

That said, if you follow a candidate on one of the three platforms, it’s probably enough because it appears that the candidates post the same content to all three.

Television advertising by the candidates may show up closer to election day - if the campaigns can afford it. But right now, the place to get a sense of each candidate’s priorities is on social media. And it doesn’t cost the campaigns much to make it happen.

A quick review of candidate campaign posts confirms that nothing has gone “viral” for any of the top six: Ana Bailao, Brad Bradford, Olivia Chow, Mitzie Hunter, Josh Matlow and Mark Saunders.

On Instagram, the top six have 15,338 followers combined. (I’m not sure why but a candidate still trying to make an impact, Celine Caesar-Chavannes, has almost 8,000 Instagram followers all by herself.)

And what is there to see on Instagram? Some of the leading candidates have posted slick TV-quality videos introducing themselves. Ana Bailao reminded me that she came to Toronto when she was 15. Mark Saunders struck a serious note in his “ad,” and Mitzie Hunter showed her love for Toronto. I ran out of breath watching Brad Bradford’s fast-paced “run” through the places and issues facing the city. After watching those, the content is either short videos pushing policies or photos of the candidate here, there and everywhere in Toronto.

The total number of followers is higher on Twitter. But considering Toronto has a population of three million people having a few thousand followers doesn’t reflect a lot of interest. For example, Mark Saunders, the former Chief of Police in Toronto, has about 35,000 followers. His role as the former top cop in the city probably drove a lot of people to follow him a while back. On Instagram (812) and Facebook (159), Saunders is almost invisible.

Brad Bradford, a sitting Toronto councillor, has just over 10,000 Twitter fans. Mitzie Hunter, a former Ontario cabinet minister, has about 26,000 tracking her tweets. Olivia Chow is leading in the polls, and she is far, far ahead on Twitter, with 114,000 able to watch her feed.

On Facebook, the Chow edge is just as big, with 60,000 signed up to be her “friend.” The other candidates are way behind, with a combined 13,659 followers.

What all of this says to me is that the candidates will have to find ways to break through on the mainstream media; TV, Radio and front-page coverage in the city’s newspapers. That will make debates critical. Not many Torontonians will actually be in the room for the coming debates, but it is the one place where reporters can gauge the performance of the candidates. You can bet the campaigns will rush to post clips on social media. Call it the social media spin cycle. However, the clips and headlines that might shift support won’t be on Twitter, or Instagram and Facebook. Those sound bites will be on TV newscasts, radio and the newspapers headlines.

The first debate will be on Wednesday evening. Right now, the candidates taking part will be Brad Bradford, Mark Saunders, Mitzie Hunter and Anthony Furey. No word on if Olivia Chow or Anthony Perruzza will decide to attend.