During the 2013 election, whenever I logged
on to Facebook or Instagram, I was bombarded with statuses, photos and memes of
everyone’s political opinions. People were absently mindedly contributing to
the election campaigns by either agreeing or disagreeing (generally the latter)
with the candidates.
Entertainment was a major part of Kevin
Rudd’s 2013 election campaign. By adopting words such as ‘selfie’ (self-photo)
and ‘quiche’ (from Chris Lilley’s J’Amie
Private School Girl), Kevin Rudd’s popularity with young people skyrocketed
because he was so entertaining. However, during his election campaign Kevin
Rudd posted a new photo on instagram every day, if not twice a day, however
since the election, 22 weeks ago, he has only posted twice. He has since closed
his twitter account (News.com.au 2013), creating more reason to think his use
of social media was not a genuine attempt to connect with a younger audience,
but simply a stunt for his election campaigns.
The use of social media in political
campaigning fits in with Jenkins’ views of participatory culture as candidates
are moving their campaigns to an environment that allows people to participate
in them by voicing their opinions. Jessica Stanley, a consultant to Labor’s
2007 campaign, stated: “Social proof is very important. If your friends are
seen to like Rudd, it makes it easier for you to like him.” (Swan, J &
Visentin, L 2013) This idea of ‘being cool’ for liking a candidate is, in my
opinion, exactly what all politicians are aiming for. If a politician can make
young people think that voting for them is the ‘cool’ thing to do, then they
have won the social media war.
References
Steph Rogers 2013, ‘Tony Abbott NBN Meme’, Our New PM, At Least He Makes Good
Memespiration, viewed 12 January 2014, <http://stephrogers.com/2013/09/13/our-new-pm-at-least-he-makes-good-meme-spiration/>
TNT Magazine 2013, ‘Wreck it Rudd’, Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard Memes Sweep the
Web After Day of Upheaval in Aussie Politics, viewed 11 January
2014, <http://www.tntmagazine.com/news/australia-news/kevin-rudd-and-julia-gillard-memes-sweep-the-web-after-day-of-upheaval-in-aussie-politics>
“Kevin Rudd bids farewell to twitter
followers after announcing resignation from parliament”, News.com.au, 14 November 2013, viewed 11 January 2014, <http://www.news.com.au/national/kevin-rudd-bids-farewell-to-twitter-followers-after-announcing-resignation-from-parliament/story-fncynjr2-1226759365975>
Swan, J & Visentin L 2013, "Political heavyweights are online, upfront and in your face", Sydney Morning Herald, 8 August 2013, viewed 13 January 2014, <www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/political-heavyweights-are-online-upfront-and-in-your-face-20130807-2rgpc.html>
Interesting how you refer to political social media use as a political stunt - I'm inclined to agree especially when it seems Kevin Rudds attempts at relating to the younger generation appear so forced and contrived. Who knows, perhaps it was more relaxed in person..? But your point that his social media use dropped off completely after the election proves that he hasn't truly embraced social media as a form of communication, that it was all for votes.
ReplyDeleteCan we really expect anything more?