Today, politicians are able to manipulate new media resources, such as Facebook and Twitter, in order to accentuate their public persona, and make themselves seem more relatable. Delegate Albert Pollard, a recently retired politician of the 99th Assembly in Virginia, is one of these individuals whom I met with. He discussed the role this new media played during his political career.
He says, “Politicians use new media to present who they actually are.”
But the question is why is new media the current outlet to create a more intimate relationship with our politicians? One reason could be because these media outlets are more accessible and instantaneous, and isn’t as filtered as print media. Another reason is that new media makes our politicians more relatable, allowing us to feel more connected to their issues. This allows us to feel more unique in their policy making.
For Delegate Albert Pollard, the issue is one in the same. He says, “Who I want to be in public life is that who I actually am in private life; and I can create a public persona that the public likes”
So in his opinion, he is able to twist the availability of new media to his advantage. He wants the public to think that he is more relatable, which in turn allows them to feel comfortable with his decision making in the government on their behalf. Will this change the way that the media is reviewed all together? Will print media become extinct as the younger generation sways towards new media resources?
When posed with the question of whether Albert Pollard believes his persona is different with print media versus electronic media he answered,
“A little bit, and when speaking to reporters I am a little more dry and a little less irreverent. It’s tempting to go and shoot your mouth off to a reporter, but it’s so easy to be misquoted, and something sarcastic can later be taken out of context.”
According to delegate Albert Pollard, it seems that politicians often feel misrepresented when print journalists as opposed to electronic journalists quote them. So will “new media” trump print media? It seems that time will be the only answer to this question. But if politicians, a major source of the general media, are largely affected by the mannerisms of print media (much like delegate Albert Pollard’s different personas), then maybe societal change will occur.
