RR Phantom
Location : Wasted Space
Job/hobbies : Cayman Islands Actuary
 |  Subject: Funny: OZschwitz pollies targeted in fake Twitter accounts  Sat Sep 18, 2010 3:18 am | |
| Politicians know they have made it to the big time not when they are sworn into a federal ministry, but when someone sets up a fake Twitter account in their name.
The list of parliamentarians who have been satirised in 140 characters or less confirms it. Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Kevin Rudd, Penny Wong, Malcolm Turnbull and Stephen Conroy have all been targeted.
And those on the political A-list aren't the only ones at risk. Steve Fielding, Brisbane Lord Mayor Campbell Newman - and even Treasury mole Godwin Grech - are also on the list.
State figures aren't safe from the searing sting of a Twitter fake either.
After John Brumby told Victorians in July that his government would build up to 10 large solar power plants, Twitter user 'almost John Brumby' released a much briefer statement of his own.
"Announced more solar funding today. Solar panels will be most effective if placed under @RobHulls' arse," noted @PremierofVic.
At a federal level, the bio for fake Penny Wong says she is the "minister for everything Peter Garrett wants and can't have", while her acid-tongued tweets show her dislike of an outspoken Queensland mining magnate.
"At least Clive Palmer hasn't insisted on having Princess Leia on a chain sitting in front of him," she tweeted about his appearance on Q&A.
Tony Abbott was the target of a fake Twitter account set up by the ALP after admitting, while under intense pressure from the ABC's Kerry O'Brien, that he didn't always tell the truth.
But the quality of the offering peaked with the title - @Phoney-Tony - and fell away sharply as the humourless partisan jibes flowed. It attracted fewer than 800 followers and was finally abandoned within sight of election day.
Fake Steve Fielding, on the other hand, is a success story. With over 3500 fans, the feed has "roughly the same level of support as the real Steve Fielding (got) at the 2004 election," its authors point out. But what really sets it apart is the quality of its one-liners.
"There's defence, what about a minister for offense?" @FakeFielding asked after the election.
"Until you've had a family of your own, you can't know what's it's like to have deep-seated resentment of other lifestyle choices," the socially conservative fake senator said before polling day.
Australia's most controversial Twitter fake, however, targeted Stephen Conroy. The Sydney Morning Herald reported the operator was outed in March last year as a Telstra employee, who was allegedly silenced by the giant telco "over fears that the revelations will further increase tensions between Telstra and the Government". The account no longer operates.
So what's the key to a good fake? What separates the Phoney Tonies from the Successful Steves?
"One of the reasons that comedy comes to the fore in the way we deal with politicians now is that their public personas are so carefully managed," said Dr Jason Wilson, Associate Professor of Journalism at the University of Canberra.
"But what we get on Twitter is a version of what, maybe, that politician is really thinking. It's a way for us to get beyond that very carefully presented political persona. The humour can lie in breaking that down."
Dr Wilson said the barriers to entry are low, but the barriers to quality are as high as in any other pursuit. Success relies on quality.
"They may not be professional comedians, but they manage to create a humorous commentary on those politicians. The best way to get a following is to be funny," he said.
He adds that a successful Twitter fake may also have some affection for their target, if not their political adversaries. Fake Penny Wong strikes the right balance, he said.
"The loss of Wilson Tuckey to Parliament is like losing haemorrhoids on an arse," she tweeted on election night. "They felt part of you but relieved to get rid of 'em."
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