The Power of Political Image: Justin Trudeau, Instagram, and Celebrity Politics

• In Event: Technological and Social Change in Canadian Politics and Governance

Abstract

Being the son of former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Justin Trudeau has been the object of constant public scrutiny since his childhood. As Prime Minister of Canada, he is now dealing with renewed and, to some degree, heightened public interest in his public and private life, which has become the object of constant photo-op. Adam Scotti, the official photographer of the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office, is capturing his every moves, showcasing the prime minister on a bouquet of social media platforms (Andrew-Gee 2016). Since his election, Trudeau has leveraged this attention by turning to social media and using these channels to project a positive image, such as by conveying a message specifically designed to reinforce a certain way to perceive the world. This paper explores dynamics of image management and its impact on leadership in a context of digital permanent campaigning and celebrity politics in Canada. Studies have shown that image plays a critical role when members of the public are evaluating politicians (Bittner 2011, Arbour 2014). Specifically, voters are looking for specific qualities in political leaders, including honesty, intelligence friendliness, sincerity, and trustworthiness, when making their electoral decision (King, 2002). Image management techniques can help create the impression that politicians possess these qualities. Heads of governments using social media to capture attention through impactful images or videos on an almost daily basis seems like a new norm (Marland, 2012). Specifically, this paper takes interest in Justin Trudeau’s first year in office and the ways in which it was documented on his Instagram account (October 19, 2015 to October 19, 2016). Through a hybrid quantitative and qualitative approach, we examine how Trudeau and his party convey a specific image to voters in a context of permanent and increasingly personalized campaigning. We analyze his use of Instagram to promote his governing style, how his personal life is used to support LPC ideas, and how celebrity culture codes are mobilized to discuss policy issues like environment, youth, and technology. This analysis sheds light on the effects and implications of image-management in Canada. More generally, it offers a much needed look at image-based e-politicking and contributes to the academic literature on social media,permanent campaigning, as well as celebrity and politics in Canada.

Authors

• Mireille Lalancette, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières

• Vincent Raynauld, Emerson College