A new research shows that 80 percent of world leaders are now on Twitter, according to PRNewswire.
The new study was released by the Digital Policy Council (DPC) and is its fourth annual ranking of world leaders who are using the social media Twitter.com.
DPC's latest report shows a continuous, but decelerating growth in the number of heads of state that use the social medium. In 2013, four out of five or 80 percent of world leaders were on Twitter. The finding represents an 8 percent growth in 2013 compared with the 78 percent twitter usage between 2011 and 2012.
On top of DPC's list is U.S. President Barack Obama who gained 16 million followers in just one year. The rate of people following Obama on Twitter is attributed to the president's popularity and comfort with social media. Obama's noticeable upturn on Twitter happened during the government shutdown during the fall of 2013 in which the president himself together with politicians and citizens expressed their frustrations on Twitter.
Following Obama in second place is the very surprising Indonesian Presider Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. He joined Twitter only in 2013 and gained 4.2 million followers immediately. Yudhoyono shares his personal opinions candidly on Twitter in an effort to strengthen Indonesian democracy.
Third on DPC's list is the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who slipped from No. 2 to No. 3. His death triggered the drop to a spot below although President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's successor, was immediately accepted and is now at the top 15.
The highest jump in Twitter popularity is that of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai. From No. 10, the Sheikh is not No. 7. His Twitter followers increased from 1 million to 2.4 million. According to DPC, the surge in the Sheikh's number of followers indicates his openness to different cultures and public dialogues.
President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of Argentina moved up one spot to No. 6. Fernández's preference to communicate with the public directly via social media rather than traditional press conferences is prophetic of how leaders will leverage Twitter in the future.
However, there are still leaders who are not on Twitter. These include political leaders in China and some European democracies like Denmark and Sweden.
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