HomeOld_PostsCould social media be Trump’s Waterloo?

Could social media be Trump’s Waterloo?

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THAT social media played a part in President Donald Trump trumping Hillary Clinton at the polls is not up for debate —that is fact.
In recent years, the presence of political and world leaders on social media has broken many political barriers and increased access and interactivity between the political elite and the man on the street.
More and more politicians use platforms such as facebook and twitter to share their views with the public.
Media analysts have put forward the notion that most politicians have always never liked the way the print media and television frame their messages, but had no alternative until the advent of social media.
And now, rather than face questions or have their messages edited and misquoted by the traditional media, politicians are now taking that message directly to the masses.
Some, including the BBC, acknowledge that President Trump revolutionised social media usage for politicians during last year’s election race.
He used twitter, in particular, as a battleground for a war of words with his critics – from Hillary Clinton to the cast of the Broadway show Hamilton and to Hollywood actress Meryl Streep.
In December, President Trump’s incoming White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the new President would not hold regular press conferences, instead replacing them with live chats on social media.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has tweeted more than 10 000 times to his 18 million followers since he first joined twitter in 2009 and moreover, has done so in at least 13 different languages.
However, he mostly uses the official languages of India –Hindi and English – to communicate with his followers about everything, from his five-country tour of Central Asia to ‘Make In India’ week.
Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame has been described by the International Telecommunications Union as the ‘Digital President’.
Social media analysts claim President Kagame is Africa’s most conversational president.
In Rwanda, the ‘Digital President’ has invested over US$100 million in broadband internet with over 50 percent of the population using mobile phones.
He has tweeted over 2 572 times and has over a million-and-a-half followers.
Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta is the most active Head of State on social media with at least one post daily on facebook and twitter and his team often responds to followers’ queries and comments.
His social media outlook evidently showcases he has invested in high-class branding and content production for the best delivery of information.
He has over two million followers on twitter.
Coming back to the US, there is a raging debate on whether President Trump should be allowed to continue using his official twitter handle as his outbursts on the social media platform are a cause for concern and a diplomatic nightmare for his administration.
A recent opinion article in the US Today asserted that the US founding fathers were right when they said presidents should communicate directly with the American public.
There is outrage in the corridors of power that the president and his unnatural fondness for twitter is a threat to the country.
The president uses twitter to troll private citizens, shame private enterprises, promote himself and his family and peddle lies and conspiracy theories – misspelling and even inventing words in the process.
Every time he logs onto twitter, he embarrasses himself and the country.
According to Windsor Mann: “The point of political communication in a democracy is to foster deliberation. Trump has exhibited no interest in or capacity for deliberation, which requires thinking, patience and consultation with others.
“He provokes rather than ponders and it is no surprise that our politics have become more incendiary and less reasoned since he entered office.”

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