SOCIALLY MEDIATED SELF-PRESENTATION, IMAGE-CONSTRUCTION, AND TWITTER: A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF VICE PRESIDENTS ACROSS A CONTINENTAL DIVIDE

Author

Nana Kwame Osei Fordjour, University of New Mexico - Main CampusFollow

Publication Date

Spring 5-13-2023

Abstract

Struck by the paucity of studies on vice presidential rhetoric, the omnipresence of social media, and its centrality in politics, I analyzed the tweets of the vice president of the US, Kamala Harris, and the vice president of Ghana, Dr. Bawumia, after their respective elections in 2020. Taking a multimodal rhetorical analysis guided by a theoretical self-presentational framework centered around gender, personalization, and authenticity. I contribute to the broader discourse of how politicians communicate on social media to construct their public image. Taking a cue from the rhetorical approaches used by the two vice presidents, I argue that vice-presidential communication is a rich source of gauging an administration’s policy priorities, embodies critical national issues, is analogous to presidential communication, and can be crucial to public opinion formation. I also posit that a socio-cultural context may influence how politicians present themselves to their audiences. Politicians who make these issues salient strategically build social and political capital, ultimately endearing themselves to the voters. In addition, how politicians communicate on social media can collectively have immediate and long-term ramifications for individual politicians as well as their political parties, as it serves as a source of public memory, which can form the basis of evaluation by citizens. Findings highlight how politicians’ self-presentation on social media reinvigorates stereotypical societal constructs such as gender and authenticity. This dissertation empowers researchers and social media practitioners by providing insights to avoid generalizing politicians’ use of social media because it takes a critical comparative approach to arrive at its findings.

Language

English

Keywords

vice presidents, self-presentation, Twitter, multimodality, Ghana, US

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Communication

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Department of Communication and Journalism

First Committee Member (Chair)

Dr. David Weiss

Second Committee Member

Dr. Ilia Nazario Rodriguez

Third Committee Member

Dr. Cleophas Muneri

Fourth Committee Member

Dr. Michael Rocca

Recommended Citation

Osei Fordjour, Nana Kwame. "SOCIALLY MEDIATED SELF-PRESENTATION, IMAGE-CONSTRUCTION, AND TWITTER: A MULTIMODAL ANALYSIS OF VICE PRESIDENTS ACROSS A CONTINENTAL DIVIDE." (2023). https://digitalrepository.unm.edu/cj_etds/155