Politicians and Social Media

POLITICIANS HAVE LOST THEIR WAY: Naïve no more!

The world of politics is a foreign place to me. The way I see it, I like how things are going in my life, so the government must be doing a good job. Yes, this is naïve, a little controversial, and also quite sad or even self-centered. But the rule of politics is, that each individual has a say; and I say… (Stare blankly at computer)

As I stare I ask myself my self over and over “what do I say?” I was stumped. But that was nothing a little research couldn’t inspire.

I begin looking at Obama, his accomplishment in reaching a far wider and younger demographic during his campaign was commendable. Through social media tools and meme’s such as ‘Obama girl’ (obamagirl, 2013) his campaign skyrocketed into a victorious success. The further I researched the more prevalent I saw social media becoming an active part of campaigning for politicians with  “54% of adults used the internet for political purposes in the last cycle”(pewinternet.org, 2011).

But more interestingly I could not help but notice the pattern of politicians attempting to entertain their audiences. Between all the promises and future aspirations, politicians were increasingly attempting to win their audiences through humor and entertainment. They began personalizing and proliferating themselves, rather than traditionally giving speeches and making appearances, these politicians were creating connections and providing entertainment. An example is Julia Gillard, on an interview on the Kyle and Jackie O show on 2dayfm (NewsOnABC, 2010). Gillard discuses her campaign “See the real Julia Gillard”, that attempts to portray a lady of the people, incorporating humor and a casual essence to her being. Her technique is to entertain her audience and illustrate herself as an everyday citizen, in turn attracting a younger audience and downplaying her hegemonic power that some may find intimidating. Even Kevin Rudd who lost to Gillard, has an active Facebook page that he continues to proliferate himself on. His latest status said, “Feel like some Boxing Day shopping? A Ruddy Future T-shirt will satisfy your craving” (Facebook) I cannot help but laugh at his enthusiasm, I’m sure his made a big profit from those T-shirts! (If you want to see more follow this link, they come in many sizes and colours):

https://kruddtshirt.myshopify.com/

On a serious now; it is examples like these that illustrate the shifting attitudes of politicians toward their image to the public. Through all the entertainment though, have politicians lost their credibility? While some say ‘yes’ others say ‘who cares’ but figures show there has been a rise in political interest since the utilization of social media (Huckfeldt & Sprague 1995). Citizens now have the ability to connect personally with politicians giving them the opportunity to share their opinions and support their causes. Watch the video below for a further insight:

This video touches upon Rheingolds theory of a virtual community, and how citizens can amalgamate together to voice their opinions and be heard by like-minded people. It discusses the benefits of withholding a strong public image by sharing ideas and connecting with audiences.

As technology progresses, politicians will continue to objectify themselves to becoming this comical, yet professional, casual, yet serious, everyday citizen, yet king of the people. So finally here is my opinion, politicians are loosing their credibility, while they are successfully reaching wider audiences they continue to blind sight the community from the ‘real’ government by painting a picture of your average Joe with all the credentials to run a country. While I commend them on their efforts and enthusiasm, at the end of the day I want someone who is knowledgeable and trust-worthy, not some red head that likes the Bulldogs and taking her dogs for walks in the mornings

…Just saying

Facebook (n.d.) Kevin Rudd and Labor. [online] Available at: http://www.facebook.com/KevinRuddMP [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

Huckfeldt, R. and Sprague, J. (1995) Citizens, Politics and Social Communications. [e-book] New York: Cambridge University Press. p.81-95. Available through: Google Scholar http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xdAB_0-c0ZcC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=politicians+and+social+media&ots=uOqUzEwZR4&sig=nXVXvPnLjz3VD4J_b1_P7EhrQPs#v=onepage&q=politicians%20and%20social%20media&f=false [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

NewsonABC (2010) New Julia meets Kyle and Jackie O. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E99e4IOwIXo [Accessed: 12 January 2013].

Obamagirl.com (2013) Obama Girl. [online] Available at: http://obamagirl.com/ [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

Pewinternet.org (2011) The Internet and Campaign 2010 | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. [online] Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/The-Internet-and-Campaign-2010.aspx [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

Tvochannel (2010) SOCIAL MEDIA: Politics 2.0 - The Power of the Citizen. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrczoLm7Es [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].