A tip for MPs on Twitter: know the difference between social and broadcast media

Entering ‘Politicians are…’ into the Google search bar brings predictable results. Well, mostly. In amongst ‘liars’, ‘scum’ and ‘all the same’, Google suggests ‘lizards’: David Icke’s reptilian illuminati are still in the spotlight. Number five on the list is predictable: politicians are ‘out of touch’. Minding the gap has been central to British politics for years. Politicians, the line goes, are out of touch with reality, and, to make things worse, spend their whole time in Westminster, only visiting their constituencies to try to hang onto the seat. Yet some canny MPs are beginning to change this impression. This is the first general election where social media will be truly pervasive. In 2009, less than half of internet users of the voting age used social media, falling to less than a quarter over fifty. In 2015, nearly three-quarters of internet users are also social media users. Significantly, the greatest increase has been among users aged 65 or higher.