Electoral Campaigns: Do Politicians Stand a Chance?
In the society that we live in now, it’s possible for people to be considered a celebrity for many reasons. You aren’t a celebrity just for creating Grammy nominated songs or for producing Oscar winning movies. Someone can become famous for showcasing their photography on Instagram or for producing Youtube vlogs featuring funny adventures. People using social media in these ways claim celebrities statuses because their content is constantly being shared. The more that a person’s name is spread, the more they are considered relevant and popular.
Whether you hear the name Jennifer Lawrence or Zoella, if you’re a social media user, the chances are high that you will instantly know who both of those people are. And that is because both women have created content that’s been seen and shared by millions of people. Whether in movie theatres or on laptop screens.
Now, what does all of this have to do with politicians like Kamala Harris? Let me tell ya. Politicians still have the ability to be elected as a country leader (even after this whole Trump fiasco) as long as they show that they too are relevant and popular. Taking Justin Trudeau as an example, I would like to argue that he has become a Canadian celebrity. People around the world spark conversations about him. These conversations include opinions about his governing and his looks. The comments on his looks are like the typical gossip sessions people partake in over celebrities. And there has been lots of oohing and aahing over PM Trudeau’s looks. In particular, his hair and bum. Seriously, I’m not making this stuff up. You can Google it. There’s an active twitter account dedicated to his hair. But anyways, he’s a politician who’s constantly being talked about.
If you need more convincing, here’s another example: Norm Kelly. His Drake references and dad jokes show people that he’s relevant and keeping up with current trends. He’s got over 700 thousand followers which is seen as impressive by anyone trying to get Twitter famous.
Now, I’m not saying that Kamala Harris has to start reciting Drake lyrics on twitter, but she does have to share some form of popular content. For example, her work with the LGBTQ community which lead to the SCOTUS decision in favour of marriage equality would be awesome to promote. She is also the second black woman to be elected attorney general. #Fierce. That’s all information she needs to make sure is being learned by voters. It shows people that she’s a badass who’s in tune with massive beliefs held in 2018. Plus she’s paving the way for other women in a time where there’s a big push for gender equality. This, like Norm Kelly’s posts, will show that Kamala is relevant.
I also personally hope to see Kamala and other politicians at rallies, like the Women’s March, to show that they know what’s important to millions of people. And while they’re at these rallies, they should post shameless selfies and inspirational videos throughout the day. Because let’s be honest, that’s what celebrities do. These posts would not only get a politician’s name out there, but it would help people get a sense of their priorities without having to listen to a dense campaign speech.
As long as Kamala and other politicians show their relevancy, I think people will recognize that they can relate to a politician, like they would relate to a celebrity. And what’s even better is that when it comes time to vote for a new Prime Minister or President, these politicians will actually have the government background to run a country.
Now, I want to leave you with one final note about how I think politicians can compete with celebrities. It involves the politicians actually befriending certain celebrities who are not interested in running for office. Kamala could gain further fan support if she were to network and post pictures on her social media with them. I don’t think it would hurt to be associated with certain people who’s fan bases include millions of people. Do you?
So to conclude, I’m all for a country leader who entertains me online, but ultimately, I want to know that this person also has an idea of the most effective way to run a country. I want them to have previous experience at a government job. This is a plea to voters and politicians alike to express themselves online so that the most qualified individual holds the big seat in office. Politicians are relevant, so lend them a helping hand by sharing their social media content.
#CHANGE
