#frank walter steinmeiner

[camillasgirl]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla are officially welcomed at Hamburg’s town hall where Their Majesties also signed the city’s golden book, 31.03.2023

[gkdhaka]

'Unimaginable': Germany, Belgium remember deadly 2021 floods

‘Unimaginable’: Germany, Belgium remember deadly 2021 floods

BERLIN (AP) — Warning that disaster prevention must be improved, Germany and Belgium on Thursday commemorated the deadly floods that hit a year ago with high-profile memorials to pay tribute to the more than 230 people in those countries who lost their lives. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeiner visited the Ahr valley, where at least 134 people died when heavy rain turned streams into raging…

[technology-and-ethics]

A visualization of social media use: Germany vs. America

In my introduction post, I said that I believe that German politicians use social media different than politicians in America. They do not seem to be as up to date as American politicians. I can not simply make this statement without showing some proof and during my research I realized that this was not an entirely correct assumption. Since I have not paid enough attention to the growth of social media use of German politicians over the years. Particularly, I have not realized that I forgot an important fact, which is that a lot countries take America as an example. Germany is no exception.

The “Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung” -Federal Agency for Civic Education- in Germany wrote a compelling article about the arrival of the social media age to Germany in 2013 (Meyer). This happened because of something he calls “Obama effect”, his campaign on social media was an ideal example (Meyer).

With this established I want to compare the social media use of German and American politicians. I still believe that there is a difference but we will be able to spot similarities now as well.  

First, I want to compare a few social media posts from the current President of the United States and the current Bundespräsident Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Let us take a look at their Instagram profiles. The differences start with their personal descriptions at the top of their accounts.

Steinmeiner’s account description simply says, what his position in the government is, that is account is there to give people “insight” into the work of the Bundespräsident and then there is a link to the official website of the Bundespräsident. It is simple and professional.

https://www.instagram.com/bundespraesident.steinmeier/?hl=de 27.02.2021

On the other hand, we have Biden’s account description. His description is not simply professional. There is not just a description of his government position but also a personal touch, which makes him appear as if he is more than just a politician. He is also a family man. On his account description we can find information about his wife and that he is proud to be a father and grandfather. He closes of with plans and dreams for the future.

https://www.instagram.com/potus/?hl=de 27.02.2021

The difference between them is clear to see. While Steinmeier keeps it simple and only gives an outlook into his professional career as a politician. Biden introduces himself as a person. He is not simply president Joe Biden. He is also a father, husband and grandfather. This does not only give him a more sympathetic look especially because him being a father, husband and grandfather is put at the same level as being the president. It also makes him seem like a reliable person, which is something one does want from the leader of their country.

As I said before, I seem to have underestimated some politicians in Germany. Some have realized that it is better to appear more personal on their social media accounts. An example would be the Bundesminister für Gesundheit Jens Spahn. Here an example from his Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CLbv-Twhb6X/ 28.02.2021

The post uses the personal pronoun “I”, which makes it seem like he wrote it or at least he was involved in the post somehow. Also the post itself promotes an interview on the social media platform “tiktok”, which is quite surprising since it is a newer social media platform and mostly used by younger people.

This is only an opinion since there is no study about this but I think the pandemic has somehow influenced these decision to use social media more since appearances in front of crowds, or a TV interview are no longer as frequently possible or not at all. I scrolled down through his older Instagram posts and found out that his use of social media for interacting with the people instead of just giving “insight” into political work is new. This for sure is an upgrade when compared to Steinmeier and Merkel.

I still feel like it is not as personal as it is with American politicians on social media. Sure he does the Q&A but it was planned beforehand. The questions as well. Posts about family etc. seem to only appear when there is a specific topic involved or it feels a lot more staged. On the other hand, I could feel like this because I am more used to the American politicians. For sure, some of their posts etc. are staged too but I have a harder time spotting it. Maybe the problem in politics is not  the “Fake News” anymore but the carefully crafted online persona of politicians in America and in Germany? “Fake people”?

While this does give me something to think about I want to add an example from AOC and Ilhan Omar to showcase how much further social media contact with citizens can develop: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pogMem36P8w

This stream was made during the voting period of America to encourage voters. We can see two politicians playing games with popular streamers and answering political questions.

I think with this short detour into the difference between social media use in German vs. America one of the my smaller questions was “partly answered”. The question I am talking about is: “Should Germany become more like American in the regard of Social Media in politics?”

We can see that some German politicians are taking more and more steps to integrate social media into their political discourse. It is only “partly answered” because we need to decide if what is happening “should” be happening.

In conclusion, there still is a difference between the social media use of German vs. American politicians especially when it comes to interacting with the people (see AOC) but German politicians are catching up. Some have realized that they need to personalize their social media accounts but I think it will take a while before they get to the level of social media use of American politicians. I believe that Germany still tries to separate the private person from the politician while in America this is not the case.

Meyer, Erik. “Soziale Medien Im Wahlkampf.” Bpb.de, Bundeszentrale Für Politische Bildung, 8 Aug. 2013, https://www.bpb.de/dialog/wahlblog/166544/soziale-medien-im-wahlkampf. Accessed 07.03.2021.

Words (with in-text links and in text-citations): 1003

[blognachrichten]

Kommentar: Gemeinsamkeit zwischen Recep Tayyip Erdogan und Frank Walter Steinmeiner

Kommentar: Gemeinsamkeit zwischen Recep Tayyip Erdogan und Frank Walter Steinmeiner: Der türkische Staatspräsident Recept Tayyip Erdogan und der deutsche Aussenminister Frank Walter Steinmeier haben einige Gemeinsamkeiten. http://bit.ly/2iPsRFB

[camillasgirl]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla visit the Kindertransport Memorial to mark the 85th anniversary of the first Kindertransport. Their Majesties also lay a rose and a memorial wreath symbolising reconciliation and the German-British friendship during a visit to St. Nikolai Memorial Church, Hamburg, 31.03.2023

[camillasgirl]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla arrive for a Green Energy reception at Bellevue Palace, Berlin, the official residence of the President of Germany, 29.03.2023

[camillasgirl]

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender greet King Charles III and Queen Camilla with a ceremonial welcome at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, at the start of their State Visit to Germany, 29.03.2023

[camillasgirl]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla attend the State Banquet at Bellevue Palace, Berlin, the official residence of the President of Germany, 29.03.2023

[camillasgirl]

I took these photos of The King and Queen, our Federal President Frank Walter Steinmeier and Major Jonny today at Brandenburg Gate, Berlin, Germany, 29.03.2023

I also had the honour of shaking the King’s and the president’s hand :)

[camillasgirl]

King Charles III and Queen Camilla, accompanied by German president Frank Walter Steinmeier and his wife Elke Büdenbender, attend a reception at Schuppen 52, Hamburg, Germany, 31.03.2023

[camillasgirl]

King Charles III depart from Berlin central station to Hamburg, Germany, 31.03.2023