Digital Communites

Social media has taken on a leading role in disaster relief and times of crisis. The ability to instantly publish minute by minute updates as a situation unfolds is akin to having reporters positioned everywhere. Social media analysis of the 2011 Queensland floods conducted by Bruns, Burgess, Crawford, and Shaw (2012, p. 7) shows that the Twitter hashtag of #qldfloods became the primary method of Twitter communication, with more than 35000 tweets occurring over 10-16 January 2011. While #qldfloods had the larger volume of tweets, @QPSMedia were able to effectively disseminate targeted messaging that provided situational awareness and advice to those in need (Bruns et al. 2012, p. 8). With the Black Saturday and Qld flood experiences as a reference point, the ABC have established multiple social media accounts to enable a scalable response (Posetti & Lo 2012, p. 35). The use of social media during times of crisis has also been important during my time in the military, and is one of the reasons I have chosen this subject as an elective. We are responsible (if called upon) to provide HADR (humanitarian assistance disaster relief) support to countries within Australia’s near region. Part of my role is to monitor social media to try and get an insight of what to expect when we arrive and also to assist in planning, including finding the trending hashtags and sites. I can only imagine what it would be like trying to find out that kind info prior to social media!

Sharks at the golf course after the floods

A major step forward in crisis induced crowd sourcing came in 2007 with the creation of a program called Ushahidi. Ushahidi is a ‘liberation’ platform that was created in 2007 to afford ordinary citizens a means to report human rights abuses during the Kenyan presidential elections (Ford 2012, p. 33). It enabled Kenyans to document via text message the abuses felt by over 45,000 people, giving a voice to those otherwise silenced by the government enforced media ban (Ford 2012, p. 35). Morrow, Mock, Papendieck and Kocmich (2011, p. 4) found the use of Ushahidi during the 2010 earthquate in Haiti provided an impressive proof of concept for what can be achieved through crowdsourcing in times of crisis. Platforms such as Ushahidi allow people to share views from disparate locations and can become an important tool for the dissemination of politically motivated content (Ford 2012, p. 33). They found crisis mapping in the aftermath of this natural disaster provided geographically precise and accurate information prior to the deployment of the UN and other organisations, especially in the early stages (Morrow et al. 2011, p. 4) The ABC trialled the platform after seeing its effectiveness during natural disasters in Pakistan and Haiti, but also struggled with how to ensure that information is verified (Posetti & Lo 2012, p. 3). The future for this kind of project involves ‘big data’ verification, which cross references key words and phrases to digitalise the verification process (Ford 2012, p. 39).

Ushahidi Mapping Example

This short video explain Ushahidi in 40 seconds

References

Bruns, A, Burgess, J, Crawford, K & Shaw, F 2012, ‘#qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods, Brisbane ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, viewed 11 January 2019, https://eprints.qut.edu.au/48241/1/floodsreport.pdf

Ford, H 2012, ‘Crowd Wisdom’, Digital Frontiers, viewed 11 January 2019, https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1177/0306422012465800

Morrow, N, Mock, N, Papendieck, A & Kocmich, N 2011, ‘Independent Evaluation of the Ushahidi Haiti Project’ Research Gate, viewed 12 January 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nathan_Morrow/publication/265059793_Ushahidi_Haiti_Project_Evaluation_Independent_Evaluation_of_the_Ushahidi_Haiti_Project/links/5451ef8f0cf2bf864cbaaca9/Ushahidi-Haiti-Project-Evaluation-Independent-Evaluation-of-the-Ushahidi-Haiti-Project.pdf

Posetti, J & Lo, P, ‘The Twitterisation of ABC’s emergency and disaster communication’, Australian Journal of Emergency Management, The, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 34-39.

Images

Haiti Earthquake Mapping - Ushahidi 2010, retrieved from https://www.ushahidi.com/blog/2010/04/14/crisis-mapping-haiti-some-final-reflections

In week 9 we looked at visual communities and social imaging a topic within this I found very interesting was the selfie culture. It is interesting to consider when I first got a mobile phone in my teens (it was a nokia with no camera #oldschool) to teens now who have mobile phones and are caught up in this selfie culture. Applications that are enforcing the selfie culture are applications such as Snapchat and Instagram, Snapchat sends a selfie photo or video to who the sender wants to receive this and then the receiver can only view this once and then it is instantaneously lost. I believe there are major issue with this selfie culture as both of these applications offer filters for your selfie essentially enhancing or changing the way you look to make your selfie cooler or more interesting, this not being properly managed can lead to self-esteem issues I believe. If you are constantly sending photos to others looking ‘cooler or more interesting’ this make open issues of young children wanting to wear make-up or change their appearance when they are actually seeing people in public. It also means that teenagers and young children are documenting their lives and uploading them onto their social channels, if their parents are not managing or monitoring their activity this information might end up in the wrong hands.

The selfie culture I believe started as a fun light-hearted way for people to express them self and in some cases, help people who are self-conscious feel more comfortable in front of the camera (Swinburne Online 2019). But has turned into something that like many other things on the internet, needs to be monitored.

Looking into videos of affinity, this being videos that aim to transmit feelings of sharing a particular moment (Lange 2009, p. 74). I found myself guilty of indulging in these styles of videos quiet frequently, I believe influencers do this to be relatable with their audience, keep up with creating current content and convince their audience that they are just your average individuals who do normal everyday activities. Just to try it with friends I have tried to create videos displaying normal everyday life activities but in fact for me, it feels very unauthentic. I enjoy watching videos of affinity but I do not enjoying filming or taking part in these styles of videos. Has anyone else ever tried this?

References:

Lange, P 2009, 'Videos of affinity’, in Snickars, P, The Youtube Reader, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm, pp. 70-88

In week 6 we looked at activism and protest, a sub category of this being Culture jamming. Culture jamming is something I found very interesting, a topic I found myself wanting to look into further. Culture jamming can be seen as the act of using existing media to comment on those very media themselves, and on political and social conditions more broadly (Swinburne Online 2019). A popular way that culture jamming is filling up our screens at the moment is Memes, “Memes are condensed images that stimulate visual, verbal, musical, or behavioural associations that people can easily imitate and transmit to others” (Culture Jamming 2019).

A great example of Culture jamming is the work of Banksy a famous street artist, he often creates incredible street art that is very thought provoking. He has chosen to stay out of the lime light, his last interview was 2003 and is essentially faceless often wears a paper bag and his thought provoking artwork seems to pop up overnight. His work is done via stencil and is often work you need to read into, people are often surprised as to how the intriguing and provocative images end up where they do, but they always require the viewer to think, a great example of Culture jamming (Smithsonian 2019).

An area of activism we looked into in week 6 was The Kony campaign, it is an example of an activist campaign that had a very successful advertising material. The campaign was run by the Invisible Childrens inc and had a very powerful, uniting advertising video. I personally remember watching this video and feeling heart-broken for the children going through this, then I wanted to contribute to this campaign and see action be taken in order to stop Kony. The company gained around $20 million with its campaign but never actually caught Kony (news.com.au). The video went viral and they gained a lot of money, but this goes to show that even with a great viral campaign, this does not ensure you are going to gain the desired outcome. 

The Kony campaign showed that digital activism is real and can be very influential but is not something that should be relied on and other measures need to be taken if you want to execute a successful activist campaign.

References:

Culture Jamming. 2019. Culture Jamming. [ONLINE] Available at: https://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm. [Accessed 29 January 2019].

news.com.au. 2019. Remember Kony 2012? Well, it’s 2013. What happened?. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.news.com.au/world/remember-kony-2012-well-its-2013-what-happened/news-story/a5de07eca7c15e69ff216b096b13d079. [Accessed 29 January 2019].

Smithsonian. 2019. The Story Behind Banksy | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-story-behind-banksy-4310304/. [Accessed 29 January 2019].

In week 8 we looked at crowdsourcing in times of crisis, this topic I find very relevant for the reality we currently live in. Often when you are flicking through the news and a natural disaster is being shown such as a hurricane, strong winds, high tides or even flash flooding a lot of the imagery being shown is from everyday citizens. The modern smart phone has given individuals the opportunity to become photographers in their own right, as these individuals are involved in the incident they have the best view and opportunity to get quality footage. News agencies can then use this real time footage to show the public the extent of damage or severity of the disaster, and not footage when a camera crew has finally got to the event as the footage may not be as good.

Working in a tech company we often talk about wonder if ‘they are listening’, who are 'they’ well who knows, essentially we are referring to your phone or any of your technology that might be 'listening’ or storing information without you knowing. It is very common to search something and then find advertisements plastered all through your own social media accounts due to cookies and cache, this kind of activity can make people very uneasy and cautious with the information they have stored within their technological devices, myself included. I often walk around the office and spot many employees with the small cover up sticker on their webcam, I have always wondered what 'they’ could take from this? How could 'they’ take it? Again, who are 'they’ well again, I don’t know, people, hackers, data collection companies somehow accessing data you do not want accessed. This being the side often not talked about when looking into the topic crowdsourcing, if they can access this information in times of crisis, what is stopping them accessing the information whenever they want. What are your views on this?

Crowdsourcing can be used in multiple types of crisis, a company that is facilitating this is Go Fund Me. Go Fund Me helps start campaigns aimed at raising funds for people in need such as medical costs, education, funerals or volunteer mission programs and any other campaign one wants to raise money for (Go Fund Me, 2019). I witnessed this style of crowdsourcing on my own Instagram recently, a young Byron Bay surfer was injured in a near fatal car accident and needed funds for all the extensive surgeries, rehab, doctor’s appointments etc. The community rallied together started a Go Fund Me page and started posting this on all their own social media accounts and raised thousands of dollars to help the surfer and her family with all the medical costs. This is an incredible way people are utilising digital communities to help others that are in need.

Reference:

In week 10 we looked at the gaming community and the social and controversial aspects about it. We also looked at the Magic Circle theory which explains that a person crosses a physical or mental boundary when playing a game that separates it from the real world (Calleja 2015, p. 211). This theory has its flaws though as there are many factors that influence gameplay and the crossing of a physical and/or mental boundary. Real life experience can affect each individual’s own unique experience within the game.

People often feel very connected to games and can get lost in it. I know myself even playing games like Mariokart I feel disheartened when I lose. These emotions become problematic when it comes to online games based on social networks like Fortnite in which individuals must communicate with each other throughout the game. This can cause problems such as cyberbullying within the gaming world. Cyberbullying in gameplay is just like what we discussed with online trolls on social media, it’s the same thing but a different outlet. There is also the debate over whether video games can influence one’s behavior in a negative way. Violent video games aren’t real but can put ideas into players heads. The addictive nature of video and social games can cause players to implement too much of the ‘real world’ into the game and vice versa. 

Video game addiction can actually be considered a mental disorder as it has negative short term and long term effects on mental health. Players may stop sleeping and eating and start to develop aggression or other extreme emotions (Psych Guides 2019). The isolation from the real world can also have extreme effects on one’s social behavior. Gaming is innocent for the most part but when it comes to extensive use it can become an addiction. Gaming also creates another space for bullying to occur with not many strategies in place by gaming companies to stop this.

References:

Calleja, G 2015, ‘Ludic identities and the magic circle’, in V Frissen, S Lammes, M de Lange, J de Mul & J Raessens (eds), Playful Identities: The Ludification of Digital Media Cultures, Amsterdam University Press, pp. 211-224.

Activism is the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change and protest is a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something. Basically standing up for what you believe in.

We know that social media is a platform where people are able to share their life updates, holiday photos, political views, but I can also be used as a platform for advocacy. Just like an online video can be trending and go viral, so can people’s views or opinions. Users are able to build collective action against issue arising across the world.

Activism can take many forms in cyberspace, one of which being ‘culture jamming’. Culture jamming sees individuals or groups, alter current media in the attempt to convey an opposing message. Ultimately distorting the original message communicated. According to Carducci, there are many different forms of cultural jamming, including performance art, graffiti art, modifying billboards, parodying advertisements, hacktivism, adbusting, and subvertising.

In 2012 the world’s social media got taken over by Kony. The Kony 2012 campaign launched with a short documentary-style video, aimed at educating people about Joseph Kony a Ugandan cult and militia leader. The video went viral and spread through social media. Though some controversy sparked about the makers of the video, this campaigned allowed people to view their opinions and share this campaign in a captivating way.

According to the Pew Research Centre, 69% of Americans feel that social media platforms are important for activism and creating sustained movements for social change. The role of social media and digital communities in protesting will continue to grow as users of these platforms can voice their desire for change in a very powerful way.

Have you ever been an activist online?

Hi everyone,

I particularly enjoyed week 10’s additional reading named ‘Virtual World’s Scandal’ which discusses the blurred lines/laws involved in online gaming.

Gamers self inject in to online communities with rules they may not be aware of before entering (De Zwart & Humphreys 2014 p 2). In virtual gaming worlds terms of service are rarely read or understood by gamers, meaning the “consent” is false and therefore the game favours the providers over the participant (De Zwart & Humphreys 2014 p2). I personally have never read terms of service before entering a game or application on my iPhone. Ethically online games should have terms of service that is easy to read and understand before purchasing or playing.

Virtual World’s Scandal discusses how resolution of disputes in virtual communities depends on the understanding of consent and the construction of the community (De Zwart & Humphreys 2014 p3). It is important for the law to understand the differences and interplay between terms of service, rules in use and social norms to ensure that gamers are treated fairly (De Zwart & Humphreys 2014 p3).Decisions should only be made by those who have understanding of formal rules of the community and the informal rules of online social behaviour and social norms (De Zwart & Humphreys 2014 p3).

Liam Hackett the chief executive of a global campaign against online gaming bulling has stated that bullying with online gaming environments is a real issue (BBC 2017). A recent report reveals 47% of those surveyed said they had been threatened in an online game (BBC 2017). Nearly half of the people interviewed said that additional human moderation would help reduce bullying in virtual communities (BBC 2017). Dr Ian Rivers a psychologist at the University of Strathclyde believes we need to look at the different ways in which people interact online whilst gaming (BBC 2017).

My 14 year old brother disagrees with the above statement. He and his friends believe it is socially acceptable to make fun of each other during online virtual gaming. My brother assured me that it is apart of online gaming culture and that he finds the banter funny.

I personally believe the way the online world is developing there needs to be strict laws put in place and a increase in human moderation to ensure participants are protected in the online world.

References:

123rf, (2019), Vector Illustration [ONLINE]. Available at: https://www.123rf.com/photo_67509870_stock-vector-vector-illustration-in-trendy-linear-style-and-blue-colors-cybersport-and-gaming-online-concept-hand.html [Accessed 25 January 2019]. IMAGE

BBC News. 2017. 'One in two’ young online gamers bullied, report finds. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40092541. [Accessed 25 January 2019].

Now that internet is everywhere it means that the old conception of the world separated in to online and offline spaces is not longer relevant (Herrman 2014). Traditional social media required users to experience life in the offline world and then post online to recreate the experience with friends and followers (Herrman 2014).

The Snapchat Buzz feed article expresses the use of Snapchat and instant photographic conversations. Over 10 years ago the photographic process was too slow for back and forth photographic conversations (Herrman 2014). Today, the Snapchat app technology allows people to express themselves through images not just text or likes and comments. Snapchat was crated in 2011 by Evan Spiegel and Boby Murphy (Benner 2016). The Snapchat app allows people to send messages that disappear (Benner 2016). In 2016 Snapchat was used by more than 158 million people every day (Benner 2016). Snapchat is the only app I use due to the deleting text and image function.  

Working in the real estate industry, I notice agents constantly using Snapchat and Instagram stories to post instant self promotional posts to their friends and followers.

According to CNBC millennials are falling out of love with Facebook and are posting less about less trivial matters (Seth 2016). This is because they don’t want every friend on Facebook having access to their lives (Seth 2016). People on Facebook are less likely to post about their lives authentically and more likely to post selectively, this is called selective sharing (Seth 2016).

I used Facebook when I was 14- 20 years old. I haven’t used Facebook for 7 years as I felt pressure to post unnecessary status updates and photographs. I did not like the idea of my whole Facebook network seeing my posts and photographs. I had over 3000 friends on Facebook and most of them were acquaintances.

I enjoy using Snapchat because my friends send unfiltered messages and pictures of their everyday life. I deleted Instagram because I was sick of the superficial posts in my feed. Because we can access the internet from our smart phones, we can upload pictures of what we are doing from anywhere in the world. On Snapchat there is less pressure to display yourself in a certain way because the message and images are deleted afterwards unlike other platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

References:

Benner. 2016. How Snapchat Is Shaping Social Media. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/30/technology/how-snapchat-works.html. [Accessed 17 January 2019].

Herrman, J 2014, ‘Meet the Man Who Got Inside Snapchat’s Head’, BuzzFeed, 28 January, viewed 26 September 2018, <http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/meet-the-unlikely-academic-behind-snapchats-new-pitch#3dlvjg2>

Seth. 2016. Why Snapchat is better than Facebook. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.cnbc.com/2016/02/05/why-snapchat-is-better-than-facebook-commentary.html. [Accessed 17 January 2019].

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In January 2011 more than 15,000 Twitter users participated in 35,000 #qldfloods tweets to spread important information and photographs during the Queensland floods (Bruns  2012 p7). Research shows that social media can help with risk amplification, managing the expectations of resources and management of the public in emergency situations (Panagiotopoulos 2016).  Social media gives opportunity for the government, crisis aid, hospitals and police to rapidly share important information, at the same time they can influence the reactions of the public in crisis situations (Panagiotopoulos 2016).

Twitter is useful in crisis situations because of the retweet functions. You can retweet important messages posted by other people to make them visible to more people (Bruns  2012 p7). In the Queensland floods 30-40% of tweets included links to helpful information and 50-60% of the #qldfloods tweets were retweets to spread news and updates (Bruns  2012 p7).

Government,emergency services and media organisations need to ensure that their social media posts do not include conflicting messages (Bruns 2012 p9). This requires communication and coordination between agencies before posting. Throughout the floods Queensland Police media unit focused on tweeting easy to follow situational information and advice, they did not promote schemes to fund raise money but did provide information on how to become a volunteer in the time of need (Bruns  2012 p8).

This weeks reading made me think of the advantages of social media platforms especially in times of crisis . I departed Barcelona 2 days before the terrorist attacks took place in 2017. Our hotel was 100 meters away from La Rambla. I didn’t hear about the news until 24 hours after the attack because we were travelling between destinations and didn’t spend much time online or watching TV. It is difficult when you don’t speak the language, you are unable to read newspapers and are unable to understand television reports. When using Twitter you can search for particular topics or follow particular hash tags. Social media is particularly helpful when travelling and a crisis occurs. By using social media you can stay updated with international news in any location. 

References:

Bruns, A, Burgess, J, Crawford, K & Shaw, F 2012, #qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods, Arc Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, pp. 7-10, viewed 26 September 2018, <http://www.cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf>.

Panagiotopoulos, P, 2016. Social media in emergency management: Twitter as a tool for communicating risks to the public. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, [Online]. Volume 111, Pages 86-96. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040162516301196 [Accessed 12 January 2019].

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Trolling has been my favourite topic so far this teaching period. I was lucky enough to have Trolling and Social Media Conflict as a topic for our group presentation assessment. Throughout the research process I learnt a surprising amount of information and found the specific case studies particularly interesting. Cyber bullying is defined as, “performative, interpersonal conflict that takes place in front of an active, engaged audience, often on social media" (Boyd 2014, p. 138).

After reading the set readings and researching trolling it brought back memories of bullying in the school yard. What I thought was acceptable in my school years I would not tolerate now.

Research shows that trolling can create serious harm to individuals mental state. In 2016, Reach Out Australia conducted a online survey of 1000 Australians aged 14–25 years old. 22.9% of these people experienced bullying, 52% indicated that they experienced bullying at school, followed by 25.3% in the workplace and 25.3% on online platforms (Reach Out Australia 2017).

After conducting research for the group presentation, I found multiple case studies relevant to trolling on Facebook. Facebook is a platform that individuals can use to stalk others, create fake accounts and inflict political, sexual and racial antagonism. Facebook is a place that shares provocation and has been named a new home for bullying (Boyd 2014, p 132).

When I was in year 12, I started to wear red lipstick on the weekends. I kept the rest of my make up light. No one else wore red lipstick so this became my trademark look. Girls at school who were meant to be my best friends mocked me and uploaded a folder of pictures on Facebook of themselves at a gathering with red lipstick smudged all over their lips and faces. I knew they uploaded these pictures to embarrass me. At the time the Facebook post didn’t upset me. I didn’t call them out on their behaviour as I felt their actions were childish and others would think the same. I feel sorry for the children who experience trolling or social media abuse and don’t have anyone to speak to.

Its so important for parents and siblings to speak to children and ensure their emotional state is OK. To ensure that bullying is not effecting their lives, and if it is, how to deal with bullies in an appropriate manner.

Find references:

Boyd, D 2014, ‘Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?’, in It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA pp. 128-52.

ReachOut Australia 2017, Research Summary - Bullying and young Australians, viewed 20 November 2018<https://about.au.reachout.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Bullying-Research-Summary_FINAL.pdf>.

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‘Tweets and the Streets’ describes social media activism as a place of individuals connecting over common symbols, anger, pride and victimhood (Gerbaudo 2012 p14). Social media is a place to signify unity even though the individuals may be diverse in demographics or location (Gerbaudo 2012 p14).

Social media is now the equivalent of the newspaper or direct mail, news can be posted immediately to reach people across the globe (Gerbaudo 2012 p 4). I remember 10 years ago my neighbours and I would have newspapers delivered daily. In recent years more people use the internet or social media to stay updated with local and international news.

Shirky believes social media has made the communication landscape more complex and denser because social media and the internet gives individuals access to greater information and opportunity to engage public speech and create collective action instantly (Gerbaudo 2012 p 7). People have the opportunity to share news and at the same time share their opinion or activist approach to educate others on certain topics.

I have a friend who is passionate about zero waste and often shares images and articles on her social media to educate others on how they can live a zero waste lifestyle. Her posts are effective and are often shared by other profiles. I can see why activists turn to social media to inform others of their opinions as it is so easy to send a message to reach a large amount of people at the same time. According to The Cultureist infographic created in 2013, 500 million people log into Facebook every day and 175 million tweets are tweeted globally daily (Khan-Ibarra 2014)

The second part of the reading shares a conflicting point of view on social media activism. Morozov labels online activism as ‘slacktivism’ a feel good activism that has no political or social impact, all that online activism does is demand someone join a Facebook group (Gerbaudo 2012 p 7). Current research shows that majority of people who “like” a Facebook page for a cause don’t follow up that gesture with a donation (Tostevin 2014). Gladwell agrees with Morozov and stated that social media provides weak ties and is unsuitable for government or global action (Gerbaudo 2012 p 8).

What are your thoughts on social media activism/slacktivsm? 

I prefer watching the news or reading news websites to stay updated with current events. I don’t spend time on social media entertaining activist topics. However, if there were certain issues that I felt strongly about I would use social media platforms to join others with the same views.

References:

Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets : Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto, London.

Khan-Ibarra. 2014. The Case For Social Media and Hashtag Activism. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sabina-khanibarra/the-case-for-social-media_b_6149974.html. [Accessed 12 January 2019].

Tostevin. 2014. Online activism: it’s easy to click, but just as easy to disengage. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/media-network-blog/2014/mar/14/online-activism-social-media-engage. [Accessed 12 January 2019].

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Politics and civic culture

“The sparks that sets things off can come from anywhere, and the revolutionary fire is now more likely to be spread by social media” (Jericho  2012 p258). Politicians are now using social media platforms to announce important news to Australians.

Week 5’s reading explains how politician’s can use social media as a tool to capture the nations attention, connect with Australians, sway topics in their favour and stay updated with current views.

The idea of politicians on Twitter is not to criticise and blast others its to make real connections with people (Jericho 2012 p264.) Social media is a way of releasing facts without the medias spin. YouGov research states that the number of Aussies following Politian’s is growing each year. In 2013 13% of the participants stated they follower politicians and parties on social media. In 2017 percentage grew to 20% (The Guardian 2017). 201% of participants surveyed by YouGov stated they followed politics because they prefer to be informed directly without the medias take on the situation (The Guardian 2017).

Throughout the next Australian election politicians will need to have a serious social media plan strategy. Think of the reach of Facebook, You tube and live blogging (Jericho 2012 p264).Politicians need to make the effort to be online. They cannot miss opportunities to connect with Australians. Michael Turnbull is an example of a politician who used twitter to drive their position, Turnbull showed his real personality and engaged with voters to gather information (Jericho 2012 p296). In 2017 Malcolm Turnbull used Facebook to announce the government’s changes to 457 visas instead of holding a media conference or interview (The Guardian 2017).

When the Australia “Ban Live Exports” livestock saga occurred on Twitter the Australian governments response was slow and didn’t manage to harness the emotion of Australians. This would have been a perfect opportunity for politicians to steer the emotion in their favour (Jericho 2012 p261).

Young Australians should be in touch with the movement of politics. Staying connected to politicians through Twitter means you can have unfiltered media releases about important topics. After reading this article I am considering opening a Twitter account so I can stay in the loop of happenings relevant to the Australian government.

  References:

Jericho, G 2012, ‘How many votes are there on Twitter?’, in The Rise of the Fifth Estate, Scribe, Victoria, Australia.