Social media has changed communications. Millions throughout the world inform, report, comment, engage, reply, connect, participate, debate, and access content. As internet guru Clay Shirky describes the new public sphere: “We are increasingly in a landscape where media is global, ubiquitous, and cheap. The audience can talk back. The really crazy change is here: the fact that people are no longer disconnected from each other, the complexity of the network is actually the square of the number of participants, meaning that the network, when it grows large, grows very, very large. And the choice we face is how can we make the best use of this media”. Governments are no exception—using social media as a political channel, a means of communicating directly with constituents. In Latin America, growth in connectivity and access to mobile technology account for increased public engagement.
World Bank indicators on internet usage show Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia with the highest rates of users in the region. A September 2011 report by the tracking firm ComScore titled “The Rise of Social Networking in Latin America” finds that the audience climbing by 16 percent per year; half of the top ten worldwide markets by time spent on social networking are in Latin America, with Argentina ahead of the rest of the countries at an average of ten hours per month in June 2011. In that same month in Venezuela, one in four online users visited Twitter. In Mexico, of an online population of 20.7 million, 90 percent visited social media sites.
Yet awareness about what governments have to offer may be a challenge. A report by the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee titled “Latin American Governments Need to Friend Social Media and Technology”, states, “Social media can strengthen the ability of governments to be more responsive to their citizens and can improve government’s effectiveness”. It notes that governments such as Colombia and Mexico recognize the growing importance of interaction with citizens. Lacking, the report states, is investment to educate the public on social media tools at their service.
Twitter, where Spanish is the second most used language, seems to be the preferred site for engagement. The December 2012 report, “World Leaders on Twitter” by Digital Policy Council, has now-deceased Hugo Chavez from Venezuela in second place, after U.S. President Barack Obama. Dilma Rousseff of Brazil ranks sixth; number seven Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez; number eight Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos; and number nine Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto. Climbing in the ranks the presidents of Ecuador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.
Hugo Chavez’s Twitter account (@chavezcandanga) was created in April 2010. On March 3, 2013—days before his death—he had 4,123,143 followers with a Klout score of 80. His first tweet: “Hey, how are you, I am here as I promised at midnight”. The Twitter account would be used to send messages, announce government projects, appoint ministers (for example, on October 13, 2012, he announced the appointment of the Communications Minister through a Tweet), as well as chastise members of the opposition. During the 2012 presidential election campaign Chavez used Twitter to garnish support as well as to criticize his opponent, Henrique Capriles. In one of his last tweets was upon his return to Venezuela, he sent out: “At last we have arrived at the Homeland. Thank-you God. Here we will continue the treatment”. Difficult to say whether Chavez did the Tweeting himself.
Venezuelan ministers have followed suit using social media engaging in back and forth with the opposition. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua Miranda used his Twitter feed to urge support and understanding for the ailing Chavez, directly responding to the opposition. Interim President Nicolas Maduro made his social media debut on March 17th. Twitter has also became a go-to place to follow the presidential elections in the country as opposition and government used the site to communicate with voters and take jabs at each other.
Mexico is the first country in Latin America to have the president and cabinet engaged in social media. In 2011 the Federal Government announced the participation of midlevel secretaries and other officials in social media as part of an effort to engage the public. The government also published a social media style book, establishing that Twitter is to be used as a means of communication with the public since it allows easy access. The Tweets should also refer to official activities and should have links to government sites. Not all ministers and high ranking officials engage steadily.
Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) has 1,631,867 followers on twitter as of March 3, 2013. On the day of his election the hashtag #PenaNieto was the fourth largest trending worldwide. His engagement centers on announcements of government projects and accomplishments. On March 2, 2013 Peña Nieto referred to road projects in Mexico that had been promised during the campaign. He managed to engage 2,000 people with a tweet on International Womens Day on March 8th. Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe was the first politician in his country to be on Twitter. His successor Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) also uses social media to report on government news or to take a position in disputes. Twitter has been a medium to send direct message during negotiations with FARC guerrilla groups. In March, he used Twitter to call on coffee producers to settle their differences with the government. The official account of the presidency (@infopresidencia) is quite active in following Mr. Santos and constantly mentioning his tweets from @urnadecristal is where citizens can ask direct questions. The latter has a smaller following.
Brazil’s Dilma Roussef has a large following on Twitter, but her account went dormant after the presidential election. Her last appearance under @dilmabr was December 2010. Peru’s Ollanta Humala published on Twitter a report on his first one hundred days in government.
A review of Tweets show that activity is highest during presidential campaigns, when politicians tend to be more involved with constituents; once in office, the accounts become more informational. There are exceptions, notably Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Burson-Marsteller’s 2012 study Twiplomacy revealed that two-thirds of world leaders are on Twitter. The impact of this is difficult to measure. Whether a presidential tweet can convince or not, whether it improves governance and makes the leader accountable—all debatable. For the public at large, the more “traditional” means of communication, radio, television, and print remain the dominant media. Yet this relatively new form of engagement may be a way do to presidential marketing, or to mold a message. In this changing landscape the expectation is that heads of state and governments will devote more time to social branding, creating strategies, and targeting messages. It will also become a venue for a more participatory citizenry. As new generations and future voters make increasing use of social media, it remains to be seen how governments will refine strategies and put this powerful tool to use.
Clara Dominguez is Acting Director of the Voice of America’s Latin America Division. She holds a MA Degree in Political Science from The George Washington University and a MBA from the University of Miami. The views presented in this paper are the author’s and do not represent the views of the Voice of America or the United States government.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2013 print edition.
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Leveraging Social Media: A Communications Tool for Heads of State in Latin America
July 25, 2013
Social media has changed communications. Millions throughout the world inform, report, comment, engage, reply, connect, participate, debate, and access content. As internet guru Clay Shirky describes the new public sphere: “We are increasingly in a landscape where media is global, ubiquitous, and cheap. The audience can talk back. The really crazy change is here: the fact that people are no longer disconnected from each other, the complexity of the network is actually the square of the number of participants, meaning that the network, when it grows large, grows very, very large. And the choice we face is how can we make the best use of this media”. Governments are no exception—using social media as a political channel, a means of communicating directly with constituents. In Latin America, growth in connectivity and access to mobile technology account for increased public engagement.
World Bank indicators on internet usage show Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia with the highest rates of users in the region. A September 2011 report by the tracking firm ComScore titled “The Rise of Social Networking in Latin America” finds that the audience climbing by 16 percent per year; half of the top ten worldwide markets by time spent on social networking are in Latin America, with Argentina ahead of the rest of the countries at an average of ten hours per month in June 2011. In that same month in Venezuela, one in four online users visited Twitter. In Mexico, of an online population of 20.7 million, 90 percent visited social media sites.
Yet awareness about what governments have to offer may be a challenge. A report by the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee titled “Latin American Governments Need to Friend Social Media and Technology”, states, “Social media can strengthen the ability of governments to be more responsive to their citizens and can improve government’s effectiveness”. It notes that governments such as Colombia and Mexico recognize the growing importance of interaction with citizens. Lacking, the report states, is investment to educate the public on social media tools at their service.
Twitter, where Spanish is the second most used language, seems to be the preferred site for engagement. The December 2012 report, “World Leaders on Twitter” by Digital Policy Council, has now-deceased Hugo Chavez from Venezuela in second place, after U.S. President Barack Obama. Dilma Rousseff of Brazil ranks sixth; number seven Argentina’s Cristina Fernandez; number eight Colombia’s president Juan Manuel Santos; and number nine Mexico’s Enrique Peña Nieto. Climbing in the ranks the presidents of Ecuador, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.
Hugo Chavez’s Twitter account (@chavezcandanga) was created in April 2010. On March 3, 2013—days before his death—he had 4,123,143 followers with a Klout score of 80. His first tweet: “Hey, how are you, I am here as I promised at midnight”. The Twitter account would be used to send messages, announce government projects, appoint ministers (for example, on October 13, 2012, he announced the appointment of the Communications Minister through a Tweet), as well as chastise members of the opposition. During the 2012 presidential election campaign Chavez used Twitter to garnish support as well as to criticize his opponent, Henrique Capriles. In one of his last tweets was upon his return to Venezuela, he sent out: “At last we have arrived at the Homeland. Thank-you God. Here we will continue the treatment”. Difficult to say whether Chavez did the Tweeting himself.
Venezuelan ministers have followed suit using social media engaging in back and forth with the opposition. Foreign Minister Elias Jaua Miranda used his Twitter feed to urge support and understanding for the ailing Chavez, directly responding to the opposition. Interim President Nicolas Maduro made his social media debut on March 17th. Twitter has also became a go-to place to follow the presidential elections in the country as opposition and government used the site to communicate with voters and take jabs at each other.
Mexico is the first country in Latin America to have the president and cabinet engaged in social media. In 2011 the Federal Government announced the participation of midlevel secretaries and other officials in social media as part of an effort to engage the public. The government also published a social media style book, establishing that Twitter is to be used as a means of communication with the public since it allows easy access. The Tweets should also refer to official activities and should have links to government sites. Not all ministers and high ranking officials engage steadily.
Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto (@EPN) has 1,631,867 followers on twitter as of March 3, 2013. On the day of his election the hashtag #PenaNieto was the fourth largest trending worldwide. His engagement centers on announcements of government projects and accomplishments. On March 2, 2013 Peña Nieto referred to road projects in Mexico that had been promised during the campaign. He managed to engage 2,000 people with a tweet on International Womens Day on March 8th. Former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe was the first politician in his country to be on Twitter. His successor Juan Manuel Santos (@JuanManSantos) also uses social media to report on government news or to take a position in disputes. Twitter has been a medium to send direct message during negotiations with FARC guerrilla groups. In March, he used Twitter to call on coffee producers to settle their differences with the government. The official account of the presidency (@infopresidencia) is quite active in following Mr. Santos and constantly mentioning his tweets from @urnadecristal is where citizens can ask direct questions. The latter has a smaller following.
Brazil’s Dilma Roussef has a large following on Twitter, but her account went dormant after the presidential election. Her last appearance under @dilmabr was December 2010. Peru’s Ollanta Humala published on Twitter a report on his first one hundred days in government.
A review of Tweets show that activity is highest during presidential campaigns, when politicians tend to be more involved with constituents; once in office, the accounts become more informational. There are exceptions, notably Hugo Chavez of Venezuela.
Burson-Marsteller’s 2012 study Twiplomacy revealed that two-thirds of world leaders are on Twitter. The impact of this is difficult to measure. Whether a presidential tweet can convince or not, whether it improves governance and makes the leader accountable—all debatable. For the public at large, the more “traditional” means of communication, radio, television, and print remain the dominant media. Yet this relatively new form of engagement may be a way do to presidential marketing, or to mold a message. In this changing landscape the expectation is that heads of state and governments will devote more time to social branding, creating strategies, and targeting messages. It will also become a venue for a more participatory citizenry. As new generations and future voters make increasing use of social media, it remains to be seen how governments will refine strategies and put this powerful tool to use.
Clara Dominguez is Acting Director of the Voice of America’s Latin America Division. She holds a MA Degree in Political Science from The George Washington University and a MBA from the University of Miami. The views presented in this paper are the author’s and do not represent the views of the Voice of America or the United States government.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's July/August 2013 print edition.
