— A real comedian —
The professorial premier’s following on Twitter is nothing, however, to the 860,000 people who follow Italian comedian- turned-politician Beppe Grillo, who launched his Five Star Movement on the Internet and is tipped to steal protest votes.
Currently polling at 18 percent, Grillo has stood out as the only candidate touring around Italy on an old-fashioned campaign bus.
“Grillo is an actor, he’s the only one who can really put on a show. He galvanises his audience, jumping around the stage, but he avoids television as he knows he’s not going to look good sitting still on a chat show,” said Mazzoleni.
Grillo leads the pack on Facebook with over one million fans – followed by far-left leader Nichi Vendola and then Berlusconi with under 500,000.
Three-time-premier Berlusconi, credited by media experts as having been the first to realise the potential of television as a political tool in Italy, still relies heavily on getting his message broadcast into sitting rooms across the country however.
While there are some three million people who regularly tweet in Italy according to Mazzoleni, the majority of Italy’s ageing population are less likely to use social media.
“Berlusconi is a huge presence on television but he’s not on Twitter, because his is a one-directional communication strategy: he can promise and proclaim but he doesn’t have to respond to online users’ reactions,” Giudiceandrea said.
The media magnate’s latest promise – to refund a controversial housing tax brought in by Monti if elected – was ridiculed widely on Facebook pages dedicated to improbable things the billionaire may “give back” to the people, from Elvis and the Holy Grail, to Italians’ dignity.
“The idea of using social media as an election platform may have been inspired by the United States, but Italians have put their own spin on it,” Mazzoleni said.
“Italians jump in and offer contradictory opinions all at once. They’re very individualistic – an approach that fragments the power of social media to some extent – but they’re also vivacious, engaged and brilliantly irreverent,” he said.