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ePaper created 2012-12-31, 17:51:27 | version 1.24.0
Research Note: World Leader Rankings on Twitter December 2012 3 #1 In 2010, the idea that governments had the potential to openly engage their citizens and the global community directly was brought front and center, with President Obama’s open government directive. These initiatives work toward building participation and collaboration into the government process. A little over a year later, the Open Government Partnership was formed, as nations made official commitments to improve transparency, openness and civic engagement. Today more than 50 nations are involved in that partnership, striving to empower citizens, fight corruption, and harness new technologies to strengthen governance and support the implementation of multilateral commitments. In 2012, Twitter continued to be used by political activists to inform, mobilize, create communities, and seek to hold governments accountable. The momentum of 2011’s pro-democracy uprisings that swept the Middle East and North Africa, known as the Arab Spring, carried through to 2012 as demonstrators passionately acknowledged the role of social media to solidify their efforts. Twitter provided a platform for people to express their solidarity with others in their region and beyond. As digital activism becomes more intensified, it is often seen as a threat to governments, but an outcome has been the steady increase in the number of heads of state that are using Twitter, and recognizing the benefits of the vehicle to allow for direct interaction with constituents. Anyone can send an @ message to a world leader and although they might not personally see the tweet, it will likely go to the attention of their staff. Furthermore, with the aid of Twitter a government message has the potential to go viral or reach a worldwide audience. Noteworthy Changes in the Top 10 The heads of state in the Top 10 list shifted since 2011 seeing two new entrants from Russia and Colombia, along with the exit of some key Twitter enthusiasts due to political administration changeovers. PRESIDENT OBAMA again maintained the top spot of all world leaders, with a vast 24 million followers, adding 15 million followers in one year. 2012 was an election year, therefore, the Twitter account continued to be managed by the presidential campaign staff. Obama continued to occasionally post his own tweets, signed with his initials.