Students of leadership planning, often lacking training, about the best way to utilize, the rather – recent, tendency, of using Social Media. While vehicles, such as, especially, Facebook and Twitter, have been used previously, it was not until the past Presidential election cycle, when these, have become major influences! The American people, in 2016, elected, Donald J. Trump, as President of the United States, and a major contributing factor, and means of communication, often used by Mr. Trump, was his Twitter messages. He seemed to transform his 140 characters, to a major component, of his campaign’s marketing and advertising/ campaigning efforts/ campaign, for better, or for worse! Often, this communication was adversarial, even, vitriolic, in nature, yet, often, kept his message, in the forefront of nearly every news cycle. While some believed this would end, once he was elected, he has continued to maintain his Twitter identity, @realDonaldTrump, as well the official one, of the U.S. President, @POTUS. This article will briefly discuss 5 potential, and/ or real dangers, when elected officials communicate. via Social Media.
1. Unvetted: It’s often dangerous, for ordinary citizens, to write or say something, until/ unless they thoroughly consider the ramifications, etc, of their statements. When an elected official publishes a message, and does so in 140 characters, without carefully vetting it, and having trusted advisers review it, before publishing, it risks conveying the wrong type of message! Mr. Trump has consistently done so, often performing what has been referred to, as, a Twitter Storm, either late at night, or in the early morning hours. He’s also published provocative messages, and, while sometimes doubling – down on these statements, at others, stated he was only kidding, or being sarcastic. He has even promoted major policy changes, such as trans – gender statements in the military, which the armed services, did not carry out, claiming it was not an official order. Obviously, this is both confusing and, sometimes irresponsible, especially when it contains an outburst against another government, a national leader (ours, or others), etc.
2. Danger of using 140 words: Obviously, there may be considerable limitations involved, in attempting to fully communicate using 140 characters. Doesn’t it make sense, it opens up the possibility of misinterpretation, etc, which might have unwanted ramifications, when done by an elected official, especially in today’s challenging times?
3. Contradictions: Often, President Trump’s Tweets, often appear somewhat contradictory, to what the White House Communications Office, states, etc! Doesn’t that lead to unnecessary confusion, etc?
4. Not taken seriously: If one says, some statements are sarcastic or a joke, while others are policy and official statements, how is possible, for one to truly differentiate, with any degree of certainty? There is also the challenge, of how foreign leaders, might perceive these types of actions!
5. Often inappropriate: While many of us, from time, to time, might be guilty of unwise posts, etc, when a major elected official does so, it is often, at least, inappropriate, if not, far worse!
The reality is, Social Media, is often, not, at all, social! Communication, at its best, is often challenging, and over – relying on Twitter, complicates and worsens the ability to effectively communicate clearly!
