World Leaders on Twitter - Top10 Rankings

Research Note: World Leader Rankings on Twitter August 2011 3 #2 #1 For the period of the Arab Spring, statistics collected by Digital Daya's social intelligence command center revealed 6 million+ fans/followers flocking to dissident social media accounts versus any accounts that government authorities had set up. Whereas the intensification of online activism is often seen as a “threat” to governments, an encouraging outcome has been the increase in the number of heads of state that are using Twitter, showing a broader and growing adoption of this medium. Since citizens are now flocking to social media for political activity, more aggressive efforts by government and more engaging channels can offset dissident sites and balance out the political power. For example, in the wake of the London riots, rather than threatening to shut down social media/BlackBerry services in London, Prime Minister Cameron could have been better off with a strong network of influencers and online channels to get his message out to citizens and to the youth participating in the riots that unnerved Britain. Noteworthy Changes in the Top 10 The heads of state in the Top 10 list has changed dramatically since October 2010 seeing three new entrants from Brazil, Philippines and Argentina, along with the exit of some key proponents of social media due to political administration changeovers. President Obama holds on to the top spot with a vast 9 million followers having added 5 million followers a year later. Although the Twitter account continues to be managed by his 2012 presidential campaign staff, midway through 2011 it was announced that President Obama would begin tweeting from the @BarackObama account personally and his tweets will be signed with his initials. During the debt-ceiling standoff in July 2011, Obama tweeted “The time for putting party first is over. If you want to see a bipartisan #compromise, let Congress know. Call. Email. Tweet. —BO.” He put his campaign aides to work, as staff posted more than 100 Twitter messages in one day urging followers to pressure their lawmakers to find a compromise. President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela, growing by over a million followers and grabbing the #2 spot, now calls the service “a weapon that also needs to be used by the revolution.” Political analysts view Twitter as a fundamental instrument for