It
comes as no surprise, by now, that politics and social media have become good
friends. With Instagram being referred to as the most important online network by
teenagers*,
PR might just have found its new trump card.
This
time, it was Barack Obama who joined the hype, taking over the White House
Instagram account on his most recent trip to Alaska. For three days, the
American president used the online platform to point up to the problem of
Global Warming, sharing photos and videos of his hike through a melting glacier
in Alaska.
Known
for its natural beauty, this area has been going through alarming changes
in the last years. Obama wants to catch everyone’s attention to this problem,
making it clear it is urgent to take action towards climate change: "We
will condemn our children to a planet beyond their capacity to repair".
What could initially be seen as a mere political
stunt, can also be looked as a smart PR move, at a time when Instagram conquers
the podium of social media. Going beyond Facebook (where all content was simultaneously shared), the White House was then able to reach a whole new public – selfies
included. But does social media presence actually translate into impact? And
even if it does for brands, does the same logic apply to politics?
Ana Sofia Baptista
* Data
found in a survey led by Piper Jaffray earlier this year, and answered by
Generation Z itself.
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