Follow-up: I care (in 140 characters or less)
Last week, I wrote a post lambasting politicians for expressing condolences through social-media sites like Twitter. I argued that it …
I care (in 140 characters or less)
By Trevor J. Adams | Jul 22, 2010
Politicians like for you to think that they care about you. If you believe that, it’s more likely you’ll vote for them when they’re up for re-election. This means that they’re constantly looking for ways to show you they care, without having to expend much energy on actually caring. The latest, and tackiest, manifestation of this, is for politicians to express their condolences on Twitter or Facebook whenever tragedy strikes. (MLA Andrew Younger inspired this post, by taking it to an even lower level: retweeting another MLA’s condolences.)
Social-media is a great tool for politicians and their constituents to communicate, and many politicians use it very effectively. But using it for a quick display of sympathy just seems weak. The people they’re sympathizing with will almost certainly not see the message—rather, it’s aimed at the masses. To me, that’s pretty trite and manipulative. What do you think?
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