Dealers in hope, the importance of government identity in the social media age.

This Napoleonic view of leadership was rooted in the turmoil and bloodshed of the French Revolution and yet, the immortal words of the French revolutionary still bear resemblance to the political landscape of 21^st century Britain.

Faced by four ‘once in a generation’ events in just over ten years, starting with the financial crash in 2008 and quickly followed by the Brexit vote in 2016, the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hope has never been a more valuable commodity. 

As public fatigue grows following this unprecedented decade of national crises, the government of the day is finding it increasingly difficult to define its own identity and inspire hope. This is being further exacerbated as social media becomes increasingly engrained in social consciousness through ever shortening attention spans, echo chambers amplifying disquiet and a growing desire for instant gratification from government policy. 

In the run up to the 2024 general election, Keir Starmer’s Labour party was widely regarded to be a government in waiting. Their election campaign was therefore built on the premise that they weren’t the Conservatives, but this didn’t leave any space for defining their own identity and capacity for change. In the time since, this void has been filled by their critics, taking control of the narrative and defining the government by their perceived u-turns and failings. 

Although any leadership will naturally face critics, the level of expectation being placed here reflects how constant exposure to political news and crises has shortened public attention spans and increased the demand for immediate results. 

With hope becoming an increasingly scarce resource the government is seemingly already running out of time to deliver on key promises, despite being less than halfway through its term. 

What does this mean for us? 

This fast-paced, social media age means that our identity as communication professionals has never been more important, and there’s lots we can learn from these political trends. 

For example, they demonstrate the increasing need for truly engaging communication that clearly shows who our clients are and why the work they’re doing is important. They can also teach us how to better interpret communications from political actors that are under increasing pressure from a public that has simultaneously never been more engaged - but also never been more fatigued. 

Whether we’re helping to deliver new homes, a major infrastructure project, or building stronger relationships between businesses and their customers, we all have a role to play in promoting hope.