Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download

World Leaders on Twitter - Top10 Rankings

Research Note: World Leader Rankings on Twitter August 2011 4 #3 #4 Chávez with “tremendous propaganda value and is part of his charisma mechanism." Just how valuable Twitter is to the effusive leader is to a certain extent quantified through his Klout score1 (the representation of influence and ability to compel action by others online) as Chávez currently maintains the highest score of any world leader matched only by President Obama. It should be noted that those with Klout scores from 70-80 are “thought leaders that are not only referring content, but creating original content and ideas.” Eighty and above reflects that the personality is extremely well known. They are followed not only by those who care about their topics, but even in broader areas and usually by a more global audience. Chávez‟s Klout score reflects frequent communications with other world leaders. Through Twitter he expressed his condolences to Argentinean president Cristina Fernández after the death of her husband, he congratulated Brazil‟s newly elected president, and he affirmed his solidarity with President Felipe Calderón of Mexico after a devastating mudslide. All four of these Latin American leaders have achieved a tremendous growth in followers in just one year. In fact, Latin American leaders now make up 50% of the Top 10. Furthermore, Twitter‟s popularity in Venezuela immediately grew with Chavez‟s entrance to the social media sphere. An online polling firm noted in 2010 that nearly 90% of the two hundred most- followed Venezuelans on Twitter are actually opponents of Chavez. Some feel that Chavez joining Twitter may have unknowingly given more credibility to his opponents. In July 2011 when Chavez traveled to Cuba to undergo medical treatment, he used Twitter as a way to remain in the public‟s eye while out of the country, communicate with his cabinet, and approve government programs, which prompted media headlines such as “Chavez governs homeland using Twitter.” The 10 Downing Street Twitter account slipped a notch as U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, having brushed aside Twitter in 2009 for being too “instant,” still does not personally tweet and communications continue to refer to him in the third person. However, the account will continue to be buoyed by a newly hired Executive Director of Digital, responsible for the overall user experience across all digital channels, following a strategic plan launched by U.K. Digital Champion Martha Lane-Fox. The recently created job position was touted by the media as “a highly paid „Twitter Tsar‟ to boost the Government‟s online presence.” Mexico remained in the top ten in 2011, and became the first country in the world to have its president and his entire cabinet using Twitter. In the same week that Felipe Calderón‟s government announced the cabinet‟s entry into the realm of social media, the World Economic Forum issued its “Report on Global Information Technology.” Mexico showed no growth in the last year, as it still ranks 78 out of 133 in the use of information technology. The cabinet may all have a Twitter account assigned to their name but that doesn‟t necessarily mean citizens of Mexico can access them. A fresh entry into the top ten in 2011 was newly elected president of Brazil, Dilma Rouseff. Her first tweet after her election win in Brazil was “It is an honour and a great feeling to be chosen to preside over my country. I promise each and every Brazilian my total dedication.” At the time she had already 330,000 followers and although her activity dwindled after election, her following has grown by over 100 percent since then. 1 Klout is a company based out of San Francisco, USA providing social media analytics. The Klout Score measures influence on a scale of 1 to 100, with 100 being the most influential. Social influence measurement is an evolving field with standards yet to be agreed upon and the scores currently remain volatile. #5