#DictatorDan

[kenhoward]

Love it. Share so he sees what we think of him! It’s nothing short of criminal what is being done to us in Melbourne. How’s that vaccine working for you now hey!? #dictatordan #plandemic #justtheflu #danandrews https://www.instagram.com/p/CSoVwxnB_zp/?utm_medium=tumblr

[thisdrinkinglife]

The People’s Republic of Australia. Good discussion with DJ Kymaera (Chris) about how the Covid Lockdown is turning Australia inside out..https://www.thisdrinkinglife.com/the-peoples-republic-of-australia/

[thehappyvet]

Tweet from Media Watch (@ABCmediawatch)

Media Watch (@ABCmediawatch) Tweeted:

#MediaWatch moments of 2020 # 7

Media Watch looked at some of the social media accounts behind the #DictatorDan and #DanLiedPeopleDied campaign and found most were trolls or sockpuppet accounts.

[bynnyquotes]

Best 100 Good Night Love Messages - "Good Night Love You" Text in English #GoodNightLoveMessages #GoodNightLoveYou #Goodnight #forcacorona #GFRIEND_SOTS_Medley #長濱ねる #picpaydevolvemeudinheiro #GFRIEND_SOTS #TrumpVirus #BLACKOUTDAY2020 #StudentBan #TuesdayThoughts #ProtectPeopleNotPolice #WheresScotty #victorialockdown #RipEllen #dictatordan #webinar #remaniementministeriel #WorldChocolateDay #innovation #terzaketv, #innovation, #China, #begov, jisung #七夕の願い事, #ガチで欲しいものを三文字で, 天の川, メンテ, #hasankeyf

[worldnewsinpictures]

Okay pretty sure I know where ##Melbourneprotest is headed. When they will head to Dan's office. DictatorDan needs to go...... Want to see more about this and see what people are saying? -> https://worldnewsinpictures.com/melbourneprotest #OkayMelbourneprotest #OkayMelbourneprotestWhen #DictatorDan #DictatorDanWant #pretty #Melbourneprotest #headed

[wellhowdidigethere]

Week 5: Digital citizenship and political engagement

In recent years, social media has become an invaluable asset in the amplification of important issues in the public sphere. Focusing on politics for this post, the past 5 years has seen an explosion of users weighing in on policies, party ideologies and politicians themselves online.

The idea of digital citizenship and its ties to political discourse has been widely debated and discussed. Vromen (2017) argues that social media now allows digital citizens to “prioritise personalisation and sharing” in regards to political discussions (p. 3). Alternatively, it has been posited that digital citizens are “a subject of power and constraints wielded by states and institutions” (Vivienne et al., 2016, p. 4). With social media, digital citizens are given the means to form, discuss and reinforce their own and others’ political ideals. In Australia, umbrella hashtags like #auspol and #springst and more specific hashtags that rely somewhat on an individual’s political stance like #scottythefuckwit or #dictatordan see regular activity, particularly after pressers or parliament sittings.

Overseas, social media has been a crucial element in electoral campaigns, most prominently in the US Presidential elections. In an examination of the social media campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the lead-up to the 2016 elections, Enli (2017) observed that:

Social media is contributing to a shift in the power relation between the politicians and their campaigns and the mainstream media and the journalists, because the politicians now have access to the means of production as well as efficient and direct distribution channels. (p. 53)

This quote is especially true in the case of Donald Trump. Throughout his election campaigns and his term in office, Trump basically turned his personal/presidential Twitter account into an unfiltered publicity machine, posting attacks on "fake news" media outlets and his opposition dozens of times a day, ensuring constant relevance and guaranteed engagement from supporters and opponents alike. The dynamic between Trump and his audience demonstrates elements of both Vromen and Vivienne's ideas of digital citizenship, with Trump himself placing emphasis on sharing his ideals, and his audience serving as subjects to his power as candidate and president.

SOURCES:

McCosker, A., Vivienne, S., & Johns, A. (2016). Negotiating Digital Citizenship : Control, Contest and Culture. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/ehost/ebookviewer/ebook/bmxlYmtfXzE0MTMyNDJfX0FO0?sid=625c6a9a-b9be-4c08-9b9e-d868106d8262@sdc-v-sessmgr03&vid=0&format=EB&lpid=lp_1&rid=0

Vromen, A. (2017). Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement: The Challenge from Online Campaigning and Advocacy Organisations. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi-org.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/10.1057/978-1-137-48865-7_1

Enli, G. (2017). Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election. European Journal of Communication, 32(1), 50-61. https://journals-sagepub-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/full/10.1177/0267323116682802

[the-digital-dweller]

What is Digital Citizenship?

Hashtag Publics, Political Engagement & Activism

Digital citizenship suggests users are members of an online society where their platform can be used for the betterment of the collective by initiating online participation and offline action. The pervasiveness of digital media in our everyday lives, and the improving vernacular of social media users has given rise to digital citizenship. Publics now form collective identities, each with their own set of norms and practices, and engage with politics in a manner that prioritises personalisation and participation (Vromen 2017). This has manifested itself into more ad-hoc issue publics based around hashtags, and engagement with online social movements and humanitarian causes across networks. It is this seamless crossover between platforms that allows for the mobilisation of social movements, and its success sets a standard for political campaigns to adapt to a personalised approach.

#IStandWithDan vs #DictatorDan

In 2020, the Victorian government’s mismanagement of the state’s second wave of Coronavirus sparked widespread debate and commentary on Twitter, along with international media coverage. Graham et al. (2020) recount the hashtag streams related to the topic, (see figure 1) and the impact of political campaigns in mobilising active participants on political Twitter in Australia.

Figure 1: The Polarising 2020 Hashtag Network on Twitter in Support of (Red) and Against (Blue) Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews.

What their research revealed, was the polarising hashtags began from a Liberal state MP’s Twitter poll where he asked users whether Premier Daniel Andrews be labelled a “Chairman” or “Dictator.” From here, the hashtags #DictatorDan and later #DanLiedPeopleDied, were adopted by outspoken Australian right-wing political communities on Twitter, which were then adopted by conservative news media.

When Andrews enforced harsher lockdown restrictions and audiences realised the extent of personal attacks made upon him by news media and online communities, the supportive hashtag #IStandWithDan began trending. Whilst the data in Figure 1 suggests public opinion on Twitter was mostly in favour of Andrews and the effectiveness of his second-wave response, the #DictatorDan narrative and the debate regarding his leadership continued to be the loudest voice throughout the mediasphere.

This smear campaign is an example of how political parties are able to mobilise social media users and potential voters by sustaining a feedback loop in the mediasphere. Trending hashtags from political communities can be given a national platform to spread misinformation which is particularly harmful during a global crisis like Covid-19.

References

Graham, T, Bruns, A, Angus, D, Hurcombe, E, Hames, S 2020, ‘2020 Hashtag Network on Twitter in Support of (Red) and Against (Blue) Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews’ [image], #IStandWithDan, #DictatorDan, #DanLiedPeopleDied: 397,000 tweets reveal the culprits behind dangerously polarised debated, The Conversation, 22 December, viewed 7 April 2021, <https://images.theconversation.com/files/374382/original/file-20201211-13-10etyt1.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip>.

Graham, T, Bruns, A, Angus, D, Hurcombe, E, Hames, S 2020, ‘#IStandWithDan, #DictatorDan, #DanLiedPeopleDied: 397,000 tweets reveal the culprits behind dangerously polarised debated’, The Conversation, 22 December, viewed 7 April 2021, <https://theconversation.com/istandwithdan-dictatordan-danliedpeopledied-397-000-tweets-reveal-the-culprits-behind-a-dangerously-polarised-debate-151100>.

Smith, T 2020, Twitter poll: what’s your preferred label for Daniel Andrews?, 17 May, viewed 7 April 2021, <https://twitter.com/timsmithmp/status/1261880499959554048?s=21>.

Vromen, A 2017, ‘Introduction’, Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement: The Challenge from Online Campaigning and Advocacy Organisations, Palgrave Macmillan, London, pp. 1-7.

[haftaichinews]

Social media war over Daniel Andrews driven by hyper-partisan and 'fake' accounts – study | Daniel Andrews

Social media war over Daniel Andrews driven by hyper-partisan and ‘fake’ accounts – study | Daniel Andrews

Join Hafta-Ichi to Research the article “Social media war over Daniel Andrews driven by hyper-partisan and ‘fake’ accounts – study | Daniel Andrews” The #IStandWithDan versus #DictatorDan social media war waged during Victoria’s second coronavirus wave was driven by a small, hyper-partisan core of Twitter users, and amplified by “fake” accounts, a new study has found. As the focus shifted…

[thesportsvotecampaign]

geehall1: Dan, in emergency-handling you’re a fraud. And a bit of a natural disaster in yourself. #DanTheDalek #resignDanAndrews #ResignDanielAndrews #GiveDanTheBoot #DictatorDan #Danistan #TraitorDan #DanMustGo #Springst

[kenhoward]

Victoria goes into snap 6 week lockdown! #nofloodsinvictoria #overreaction #dictatordan https://www.instagram.com/p/CalFOVHBmph/?utm_medium=tumblr

[michellemapbridges]

This is what makes #DictatorDan so dangerous

[bynnyquotes]

100 Romantic Good Night Love Messages - "Good Night Love You" Text

#forcacorona #GFRIEND_SOTS_Medley #???? #picpaydevolvemeudinheiro #GFRIEND_SOTS #TrumpVirus #BLACKOUTDAY2020 #StudentBan #TuesdayThoughts #ProtectPeopleNotPolice #WheresScotty #victorialockdown #RipEllen #dictatordan #webinar #remaniementministeriel #WorldChocolateDay #innovation #terzaketv, #innovation, #China, #begov, jisung  #hasankeyf

[worldnewsinpictures]

The Chinese Embassy has warned the Australian government is bound to bring further damage to bilateral relations by scrapping Victorias Belt and Road agreement with Beijing. Is this only happening because DictatorDan is still flat on his back?... Got an opinion about this? See what others are saying.... See MORE -> https://worldnewsinpictures.com/chinese-embassy #TheChinese #TheChineseEmbassy #Victorias #VictoriasBelt #VictoriasBeltRoad #DictatorDan #DictatorDanGot #DictatorDanGotSee #Chinese #Embassy #warned #Australian #government

[hilariouslyprofound]

Crazy people are going to blame the next American natural disaster on God's punishment for Marriage Equality.

DictatorDan

[worldnewsinpictures]

Everyone in the housing industry and dozens of economists called for money for social housing to save tradies jobs. Tonight that fell on deaf ears. Isnt that a state government responsibility? Why dont you ask DictatorDan for help with that one?... Got an opinion about this? See what others are saying.... See MORE -> https://worldnewsinpictures.com/morrisonrecession #EveryoneTonight #EveryoneTonightIsnt #DictatorDan #DictatorDanGot #DictatorDanGotSee #housing #industry #dozens #economists #called