ABSTRACT

Twitter provides women politicians with a platform for practising political public relations and the opportunity to circumvent traditional barriers to their visibility. To explore how young women use Twitter to frame themselves during election campaigns, this study undertook a thematic analysis of tweets sent by politicians Nikki Kaye and Jacinda Ardern during New Zealand’s 2014 general election campaign. A likability frame dominated their messaging, supported by subsidiary frames of the busy local MP and the relational politician. Choices of interpersonal and intimized situations showcased these attributes. Although the messaging was arguably effective, there are longer-term consequences for women with respect to the likability/competence double bind. Further and systematic incorporation of gender into the field of political public relations would strengthen this emerging discipline and add value to existing research around women’s electoral viability.

摘要

Twitter为女性政客提供了一个实践政治公共关系的平台，并为规避其知名度的传统障碍提供了机会。为了探索年轻妇女在竞选活动中如何使用Twitter来构架自己，该研究对政治家Nikki Kaye和Jacinda Ardern在新西兰2014年大选竞选中发送的推文进行了主题分析。喜好框架主导着他们的消息传递，而忙碌的本地国会议员和关系政治家的辅助框架则为其提供了支持。人际关系和亲密关系的选择展示了这些属性。尽管信息传递可以说是有效的，但就喜好/能力双重约束而言，对妇女而言，将产生长期影响。进一步和系统地将性别纳入政治公共关系领域将加强这一新兴学科，并为有关妇女选举能力的现有研究增加价值。