For the second year running, Decode Communications released a report that takes a close, honest, and well-informed look into how South African government leaders use, and not use, a social media platform such as Twitter.
The 2021 South African Government Leaders on Twitter report has key highlights on who is the leading government minister on Twitter, how does this minister use the platform and what could really be helpful if the right content was posted by the minister. Furthermore, the report delves into a government department that has in the past year exponentially used Twitter to grow, as it informs and engages followers with information mostly relevant.
Lorato Tshenkeng, founder of Decode Communications and Initiator of #GovCommsSocial, said: “We really need to encourage more engagement from our government leaders when it comes to Twitter. There are critics dismissing it as not a viable communication platform, but we all know how great it can be used to reach constituencies that are not only relevant, but also assist in fighting mis/disinformation.”
Tshenkeng said though Twitter was not yet as popular as Facebook in South Africa, the former was mostly relevant in assisting with the dissemination of key government information.
“Twitter is the most news-friendly social media platforms. It is by far the place that journalists are most likely to spend their social media energies,” said Tshenkeng.
The other key takeaway from the report is that there is a glaring missed opportunity missed by several key ministers who are not on Twitter. Ministers of Home Affairs, Presidency, Health, Finance, Basic Education, to mention a few, could be helped to see the advantages of how best to utilise the platform.
Social media for any government is never easy, but it cannot be dismissed and viewed as not relevant. There is help for government leaders and communications professionals to be assisted in traversing the tricky, yet beneficial waters, that is Twitter.
To read the report, click here: https://www.decode.co.za/home/govcommssocials/