Manual X for rulers

The emergence of social networks has changed the face of political and governmental communication. The ways of campaigning and communicating the results of administrations are marked by immediacy and the intention to go viral, characteristics of today’s hyperconnectivity.

One of the main platforms that politicians and government officials have found to publicize their day-to-day activities is X (formerly Twitter). This network has become the main platform for political competition and the ideal setting for many governments to showcase the progress of their programs and try to set the public agenda.

We analyze the channels of three Latin American presidents: Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador and Dina Boluarte of Peru. Each has chosen a different use as part of their communication tactics to interact with citizens and position their messages.

Their approaches and results differ markedly, but they point in the same direction: to build immediate public opinion favorable to their efforts.

The Colombian president, Gustavo Petro, has found in X a channel in which he is particularly active and vocal, to express his points of view, spark discussions of public interest and even govern. Petro uses the platform to promote his agenda for social and economic change, as well as to point out systemic problems. The latter, with one particularity: he is the one who manages his account and not the communications team of the Presidency.

On the other hand, the new Ecuadorian president, Daniel Noboa, has used X in a more measured and institutional way. Noboa takes advantage of the platform to highlight the work he will manage during his term of office, but also to admit challenges and, ultimately, to communicate the official decisions of his government, bearing in mind that it will last 1 year and 6 months. His strategy clearly shows how his team helps to position his messages, as all his ministers use the platform to reinforce them and he replies to them to demonstrate the synergy that exists between the parties.

In contrast to Petro and Noboa, Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has chosen a different path. Just two months after taking office at the end of 2022, Boluarte decided to suspend her account. She then arranged for her government’s information to be shared and disseminated through other official and institutional channels. Therefore, her presence on the platform is limited and she focuses mainly on sharing official events and government achievements through the government’s institutional accounts. This strategy can be interpreted as an attempt to maintain one-way communication, which limits direct interactions with citizens. While it may contribute to more controlled political messaging, it can also distance the president from the social base that craves participation.

The use of X by some of the Latin American presidents illustrates how a tool can be shaped by individual styles and national contexts: Petro, Noboa and Boluarte have adopted different approaches. However, they all face the delicate task of transmitting their political vision and maintaining a close relationship with citizens on a platform that today demands authenticity and adaptability. The challenge lies in finding the right balance between being political leaders and maintaining an effective dialogue in a virtual space that often defies political subtlety.

Without a doubt, the government’s voice on social media has been decisive for the media and its editorial agenda, to such an extent that the prioritization of the news that is reported daily is defined by the movement and trending topics on the network. Likewise, journalists cite messages published on social media as a source: “Through his/her social media account, the president stated that …”.

The power and informative weight of the positions issued by those in power is crucial in terms of news, but also in the social and economic pulse of nations. In cases such as Colombia, for example, it has become clear how the socio-economic environment is altered after a controversial tweet from the president.

For this reason, it is essential to ensure that X does not generate an X on governments. The responsibility and care of the accounts of leaders and politicians must be analyzed, because from there political emotions are unleashed with direct consequences on the climate and current of public opinion, but also, possible impacts on social and economic stability.

 

This content is translated with AI. Read article in its original language.