As crucial a platform as social media has become for politicians and other public figures, it’s safe to say not all of them get it right every time.

Perhaps acknowledging the scale of the problem, Twitter’s government and elections team recently released a bumper 136-page handbook for politicians to help them navigate the service.

The guidebook covers everything from developing “new and innovative strategies to grow your Twitter presence” all the way down to how to actually write a tweet.

Although the guide is mainly aimed at politicians in the US, Malta has not been spared its share of social media gaffes.

From tourism envoy Joe Grima lashing out at the President for condemning racism to MP Luciano Busuttil telling frustrated commuters to stop “whining” about traffic, the online world has proven itself to be a potential minefield for politicians.

Mark Debono, director of internet marketing company, Systemato, says politicians fail to understand how wide and long-lasting scrutiny can be on social media.

 

“Never pick a social media fight, especially with younger people,” he advises those looking to hone their online presence.

“They know the lay of the land far better than you, so your chances of winning are slim at best.”

Technically engaged young people, he adds, are often more interested in making politicians look bad than actually winning the argument, another fact that politicians fail to grasp.

“Don’t expect total agreement. Maybe from your nearest and dearest, but the rest give zero thought to your feelings.”

Moreover, Mr Debono suggests, some views are by their nature

completely out of touch with the online landscape.

“If you have an overly simplistic, jingoistic world view, you’re going to be found out – it’s a certainty,” he says.

Never pick a social media fight, especially with younger people. They know the lay of the land far better than you, so your chances of winning are slim at best

Social media strategist and academic Alex Grech says that while, in principle, Twitter lends itself well to

people in public broadcast mode, politicians have struggled to truly adapt to the new environment.

“Politicians are outside their comfort zone when they have to deal with invisible trolls, ‘experts’ who may challenge every tweet, or the remix culture,” Dr Grech says, by way of explaining the numerous online mishaps. Dr Grech expresses his doubts as to how many politicians manage their own Twitter accounts, “judging by the fastidious attention to hashtags”.

Those who do choose to be active online, he adds, typically prefer the free-form culture of Facebook – “again, with very mixed results”.

“Twitter is also not the chosen channel for those looking for favours and grace in the clientelist systems that tend to be dominant in this part of the world,” he says.

Dr Grech also offers a “playful suggestion” in line with the tone of Twitter’s own guide – a special session of Parliament where MPs are required to limit their interventions to the 140 characters allowed by Twitter.

“Now that may be one way that we could gauge how relevant politicians’ discourse may be to those whom they are supposed to represent.”

Social media tips for politicians

• Spellcheck. If you act the patriot but can’t spell Maltese correctly, you’re a cherry-picking liar.

• If you’re going to refer to research, make it respectable. And, no, infowars.com is not a reputable source.

• Be consistent because we keep screenshots.

• If you write like a government tender document no one will read because no one will understand.

• On the other hand, this isn’t your local, so don’t write like you’re at the corner table of your local każin (club). Your audience may have you believe that but you aren’t.

• If it feels like it’s going badly, don’t persist. Give pause. The public can be quite the swarm of bees if amassed online.

Source: Mark Debono