#kevin07

"Did an ambassador say something bad of me?" the U.S. president asked Albanese. "Don't tell me. Where is he? Is he still working for you?"

"Yeah, yeah," Rudd volunteered.

"You said bad?" Trump asked.

"Before I took this position, Mr. President," the ambassador replied"

Ahahahahahahah onya Ruddy

'Rudd, himself a former Australian Prime Minister, has been a vocal critic of Donald Trump, describing him as a threat to democratic institutions'

Locally in Australia and internationally, enabling a seemingly closer connection between individuals and politicians is perhaps the greatest change that the use of social media in politics has brought on. This connection is utilised both by individuals to rally politicians for changes and by politicians to present themselves on a more personal level to gain votes.

When I was in primary school, I recall one weekend visiting a nearby high school with my mum and dad - it was federal election day. As we walked past the crowds of people campaigning for the various political parties outside the entrance to the school gym, I asked my parents who they were planning on voting for. I also decided to give my opinion and as I was a kid, the person I suggested they should give their vote to was just the face I had seen the most on TV. Now with Web 2.0 available, politicians with less financial backing have a stronger ability to reach a large audience and become a known face that would not have been accessible to them through traditional media outlets.

Social media can be a very a powerful tool for politicians if it is used in a successfully engaging way. For example, in 2007, Kevin Rudd and his team created the Kevin07 campaign utilising a website, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace and this captivated Australian voters under the age of 35 (Ward 2008, p. 12). This campaign still continues to be referenced as a leap forward in the use of new media in politics (Chen & Walsh 2010, p. 47). Following this campaign, many politicians began to join social networking sites in 2009, however most were unable to embrace the new media fully and retreated as members of the public started to use the platform to communicate to the politicians how they felt about them (Jericho 2013, p. 255).

(via Davis 2007)

On the other hand, a poor history on social media can have the opposite effect and create a negative reputation of someone who decides to go into politics. Speaking to a group of high school students in 2009, Barack Obama advised them "be careful about what you post on Facebook, because in the YouTube age whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life" (The Sydney Morning Herald 2009). This is entirely true for anyone and even more so for public figures who have their every move scrutinised. It is a shame that this might continue deterring politicians from engaging in social media because it is much easier for some members of the community to get in contact through social networks rather than by sending an email or a letter. I hope this changes sooner rather later to grow the interest of the  generation when it comes to politics.

References

Chen, P.J & Walsh, L 2010, ‘E-Election 2007? Political Competition Online’, Australian Cultural History, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 47 - 54.

Jericho, G 2013, 'How many votes are there on Twitter?', in The Rise of the Fifth Estate,Scribe, Victoria, pp. 254 - 278.

The Sydney Morning Herald 2009, 'Barack Obama is… warning about 'stupid' Facebook posts', The Sydney Morning Herald, 9 September, viewed 13 April 2018, <https://www.smh.com.au/technology/barack-obama-is-warning-about-stupid-facebook-posts-20090909-fg93.html>.

I (half) apologise for the title, but when I think of Australian politicians on social media this is the first video that pops into my head. It is funny that after all these years I still think back to my friends and I watching our Prime Minister devour a raw onion on the Internet (please see video below). As funny as this is, it does highlight the impact that social media can have on the public and, in particular, the way it can shape our opinions of politicians.

The easiest citizenship to gain- if only every citizenship was that easy?! 

So, welcome to the digital stratosphere...you’re apart of something big but special now. Now what? How do you engage and connect with your community around you? Do you feel you belong in the digital community you’re in...or perhaps not in? Are you even aware you’re in a digital community? Well regardless of whether or not you’re aware of HOW you fit into your community the fact remains that you have the opportunity to have a voice as a global digital citizen. 

This opportunity has been taken up by plenty of people, groups and communities by now on a digital front to prove just how important and powerful a political stance in a digital world can be.

One of the first proofs in which I personally remember experiencing political engagement was Kevin 07, which was the Australian Prime Minister campaign tag-line for Kevin Rudd in 2007. It was during the 2000′s that political material became available (Young, 2010). This is not to say that there was quite as much involvement from a younger generation as we see today but this still talks to politicians attempts. It is not until the past few years that said involvement has truly developed (Young, 2010), it is the 2016 US President’s Campaign that we truly saw what a social, and digital involved campaign could look like. 

The constant rise of social media and internet-based services has seen all of human activity translated onto the world wide web. Just as large corporations have found a space for business to occur on many of our most popular platforms, so have political groups and individual campaigns. Sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and Snapchat are currently used and perceived by politicians as a gateway to younger demographics and a wider audience. Supposedly, a good reputation and strong electoral support-base is awarded to those within the political sphere who are able to connect with the community on a personal level through social media. This newer form of public relation exists heavily in the politics of Australia and abroad.

At times, politicians have developed a campaign on social media which has successfully reached out to those who are actively online. The popularity of Kevin Rudd’s 2006-07 campaign amongst communities of all ages opened up a whole new phase of political engagement in Australia. The aim of a politician’s social media presence is to create the idea from the perspective of the community that the individual behind the campaign is actively connecting with the public through a direct channel of communication that is open and uninterrupted. Sometimes, the campaign falls flat and is either rejected by the public or opens itself up to ridicule which at times, resurfaces as a meme or recirculates in the form of internet humour. Twitter and Facebook are perhaps the most notorious for this type of user interaction to occur which for a number of years has assisted in the creation of internet culture. Reddit for example is entirely built around this type of interaction and leaves little space for politicians to make errors online and in general.

Digital spaces are evolving in the way we use them, as discussed last week websites can be blogs or social media sites not in the way they are designed But in the way the user uses it. Individuals are constantly changing the way we use social media and in the implications it can have, it can affect relationships, our lives and even political campaigns. 

The 2016 Presidential election in the United States of America is the perfect illustration of how Social Media was used a way to gain the public's votes. Donald Trump revolutionized the way social media was used in a political campaign. Using tweeter to send outlandish and extreme accusations at Hillary Clinton during his campaign.

This Twitter post was liked by 58,000 people and would have been seen by many more, this illustrates that this use of social media was working to gain the respect and trust of the American people. Trump was using Twitter as a tool to spread hate and anger to the American people in a hope it would give him their vote, it was a clever tactic to continuously spew his thoughts onto the Twitter where it would be seen by all.  

“During the 2012 Queensland Election Campaign, ALP candidate Peter Watson found that posting comments on blogs can come back to haunt you: homophobic comments he had made as a 15-year-old on blogs such as slackbastard led to him being forced to resign his candidacy” (Jericho, G 2012). This illustrates how social media can have consequences if you’re not careful what you post, however, Donald trump has proven this to be wrong, posting many sexist and racist posts yet still being elected. “John Kerrison advises, you need to imagine every one of your tweets written on the side of the Sydney Harbor Bridge”

Although we have seen social media used the way Trump used it, we also see many politicians use it to engage with their communities and younger audiences who are less likely to keep up with politics. Kevin Rudd during the the 2007 Australian election took the web to gain voters, The Kevin07 campaign took off in Australia with thousands wearing shirts that you could buy from his official website. Even after he was elected he made sure to continue his online relationship with the people of Australia, a picture of him cutting him self shaving went viral, it showed the human side to even the prime minister of Australia. 

 “The  pew research center found that nearly three-quarters (74 per cent) of American internet users went online during the 2008 presidential election to take part in, or get news and information about, the campaign”  Young, S. 2010. Although this is an American statistic i believe it reflects all first world countries with access to social media, it is becoming more and more important for politicians to have a social media presence and to ensure they are trying to engage the voters. 

REFERENCES :   

Jericho, G. 2012 'How many votes are there on Twitter?' in The rise of the Fifth Estate: social media and blogging in Australian politics, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, Australia, EBL eBook Library, viewed 20 January 2013, pp 254 - 278

Young, S. 2010, 'New, political reporting and the internet' in How Australia decides: election reporting and the media, Cambridge University Press, Australia, EBL eBook Library viewed 28 February 2012, pp 203-228.