Top10 Rankings 2013 Summary Report

Research Note: World Leader Rankings on Twitter December 2013 11 Conclusion The data we have been tracking for the last four years shows a 59% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in adoption of Twitter by Heads of State. The CAGR is appreciably reduced from the figure of 93% from the end of 2012. Notwithstanding the adjusted growth rate and retrenchment in 2013, the Digital Policy Council anticipates penetration on Twitter for world leaders to reach 90% in 2014. The usage of Twitter will be rekindled as political leaders better comprehend how to leverage the medium for strategic communications. World leaders will continue trendsetting campaigns for instance Sheikh Mohammed in Dubai who used this medium for crowdsourcing ideas on a national level, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia who sees Twitter as a means to deepen democratic ideals and build trust with his citizenry, and Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani who became active on Twitter for purposes of international relations and influence global public opinion. In Rwanda, a more fragile and autocractic nation, President Paul Kagame says of Twitter, “I learn a lot from that because you are having free access to as wide opinion as the whole world has ... I learn about people’s views, about challenges, and that goes beyond Rwanda itself. For me, even before being a president, I am a person, I am myself -- there is the part of me that I never want to lose. I don't want to live in a prison; I want to live in this open world that I enjoy being part of.” 2014 will likely raise challenges and opportunities for the Twitter landscape such as:  Twitter will be impacted as the world’s most open, fast and furious media when new pressures hit full force on generating ad revenues. As a public company, will their mission outcome shift from “…instantly connecting people everywhere to what’s most important to them” to simply connecting people with promotional content from the highest bidder?  Some leaders will become disillusioned with the distracting nature of Twitter and the incessant attacks from critics. Government officials and support teams will need to develop competencies at galvanizing the silent majority and building counter-narratives to vocal minorities.  Twitter will be further leveraged as a vehicle for building foreign relations and support within the international community for government policies. However, there is a risk of misdirecting some leaders from realizing its potential for direct communication with their citizens.  Many countries will begin to see their more traditional media channels as inadequate, such as South America where constituents are glued to social media.  New approaches will need to be developed to viably maintain an account in areas where citizens still experience low Internet connectivity. Otherwise, some countries simply may not have the resources to support an intensive Twitter campaign. We have seen concrete evidence that platforms like Twitter have helped leaders to gain a global “presence” in the highly-connected global community we live in. The potential influence of Twitter to truly transform leaders is convincing — the way they think, the way they choose to act, and the way they guide and are guided by their people. We are certain that a global political system with all its leaders connected to the public through social media will improve citizen participation, openness and accountability in governments worldwide.

Top10 Rankings 2013 Summary Report

Overview