Feinstein Doak has a post up with the Top Political Facebook Posts of 2014, and the results are interesting:
- John Key, unsurprisingly given that his Facebook page has over 180,000 likes, dominates with 5 of the top 10 posts
- But the top post – with a staggering 14,000 likes and 475 shares – is a lovely, genuine update from Jacinda Ardern about assembling a roadtrip with some other stranded travellers trying to get to Auckland
- At #9, David Cunliffe’s resignation was obviously big news, but no one else from the Left got this level of cut-through
- But the remaining 3? All Winston, baby.
It seems to defy conventional wisdom about (a) the uptake of social media by ~older generations~ and (b) the demographics of Winston’s fanbase. That being said, it thoroughly plays into the idea of Winston as New Zealand’s ultimate populist politician – always saying exactly what people want to hear.
Stephanie Rodgers 