A cursory look at the mode and manner of communications during the recently concluded 45th United States presidential election will show that a lot has changed with Government communications as we know it.
Following the attack on the United States Capitol on January 6, 2021, by the past President’s supporters and the subsequent ban of the 45th president of the United States by big tech corporations, it raised questions around Government communications and what is acceptable.
Typically, Government communications involve press secretaries issuing official statements to accredited media platforms who then publish to the wider public. That is fast changing as the entire communication landscape is breaking the role of the media gatekeepers and moving to meet the target audience where they converge. For example, the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic saw Government offices especially in Africa adopt closed social media platforms such as Whatsapp to sensitise the public on COVID-19 guidelines.
Very soon, Government communications will be completely democratised. Government communication offices will channel their resources towards owned platforms where both accredited media platforms and the general public will consume official information at the same time. In fact, it’s already happening.
The big tech social media platforms will still be influential, however, more Government offices will prioritise their website newsroom, and owned media channels like Podcasts, Vlogs, and newsletters, as opposed to depending on the large community of social media followers.
We will see a proliferation of online radio stations a la podcasts run by Government offices and it won’t be surprising to see a sitting president as a Podcast show host.