Three days ago, Fiji politician Pio Tikoduadua decided to dip his toes into the world of Twitter, taking over the task of keeping the account running, which until was being done by his staff. Since then, he has been replying to everyone who tags him as well as sharing his little discoveries about the platform. While Tikoduadua is behaving as any 54-year-old would when delighted by the wonders of the 280 characters, it can also be seen as a way to use social media as a tool to reach the people he represents.
Good evening friends, I created this account a while ago. But, this is my first week of actively using it (the staff at the office have been keeping it alive).
I have discovered what a 'retweet' and a 'quote tweet' is. I hope to engage with you more!
God bless Fiji! 🇫🇯
— Pio Tikoduadua MP (@tikoduaduamp) July 26, 2021
Pio Tikoduadua has been trying to understand the concept of notifications, hashtags and the good old ‘@’. For Tikoduadua, the notification structure is confusing, he wonders if one needs to ask permission for using hashtags and keeps reiterating that people can ‘@’ at him if they wish to share something.
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Hello Friends, sorry if I'm keeping you up. I've just been asked to incorporate hashtags on my posts. I only know '#FijiNews' because I saw the NFP youth Account use it. Are there any more I can use? Do I have to ask for permission?
God Bless Fiji. 🇫🇯
— Pio Tikoduadua MP (@tikoduaduamp) July 26, 2021
He even shared old photos because someone told him that Thursday was a good day for it. All these aspects are helping him be his authentic self on Twitter, gaining praise from the people of Fiji. People are even explaining things to Tikoduadua, helping him understand the platform and its features better.
Bula KitKat, please explain what 'OG' means. I'm assuming it means "Old Girl"?
God Bless Fiji. 🇫🇯 https://t.co/7cNPdMsmQh
— Pio Tikoduadua MP (@tikoduaduamp) July 26, 2021
When called the real OG, he wondered if it meant ‘Old Girl’. Another internet abbreviation Tikoduadua struggled with was TL, which he thought was Tailevu (a province in Fiji). However, in the last half a week that he has been active, he is really settling in. It reflects in how he has been using #TheRealOG in all his tweets and his bio has been edited to include: ‘Straight outta TL (Tailevu). An honorary OG (Original Gangster)’.
A #TheRealOG politician indeed!
