Politics is over, and it has now been replaced by a strategy of image-making, fireworks, and fleeting impressions
Things are getting out of hand. The coming months will turn into an endless theatrical performance starring all those who want to become—or return to—the presidency. And I have the impression that politics will prove once again that the downward spiral knows no end. And everything we’ve experienced so far will seem like a fond memory.
This is no exaggeration. One need only look at the warm-up acts of the various potential candidates to realize what lies ahead. Politics is over, and its place has now been taken by the strategy of image, fireworks, and fleeting impressions. You might say, “But we live in the age of social media.” True. But no matter how much we submit to it, no matter how much it influences us, and no matter how much it steals the most beautiful moments from our lives, deep down, everyone realizes that this world (of social media) is nothing more than an illusion of reality. It is a person’s right to live within this illusion. But for politicians who want to govern the country to live within it is tragic and dangerous.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
No, this is not about leveraging communication strategies. It is a way of thinking that undermines substance and embraces a superficial, showy approach, and—ultimately—the trivialization of the seriousness required of someone who wants to lead an entire country. Because this whole scenario leads to the need to be likable, not effective. And while there may be a psychological explanation for each citizen who revels in the sight of “likes,” in the case of politicians, things are much more complicated. The fact that all of them spend so much time on social media every day naturally raises the question: when do they actually find the time to address the serious problems facing this country?
So get ready to witness the kind of antics we thought only Phidias could pull off. Get ready to be bombarded with “brilliant ideas” and promises, and— worst of all, get ready to see the toxicity that thrives in this arena spill out onto the streets and squares, into public appearances and behind-the-scenes intrigues.
And so, in a country grappling with the open wound of the Cyprus issue, threatened by an unstable regional landscape, often at the mercy of others’ decisions, that watches with dread as oil prices soar, that has failed to establish a stable economic foundation, and whose citizens are struggling with rising costs and housing that has become unaffordable, all of us will be called upon to choose the future through the (merely) communicative management of the present.
So I fear all that is to come… The country is entering a 17-month-long shadow play at a time when the entire planet is in turmoil and doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring. But we’ll keep an eye on our image, we’ll make our little videos, we’ll do everything we can to undermine—and if possible, bury—our opponents, and when the time comes to settle the score, we’ll wonder why the bill came out so high.
And it won’t be paid off with likes and followers…
