Project Manager
Member Falkman, LenaProject manager
Stockholm School of EconomicsAmount granted
3 462 500 SEKYear
2013
Göran Hägglund has one, so does Annie Lööf, and Carl Bildt. A Twitter account. Every other top politician today has a Facebook page, and perhaps a blog of their own. Leaders in Sweden have been using social media for some time. The new media provide an easy and quick way to reach both colleagues and competitors, including party members, voters and other parties. In addition to serving as a new meeting place, social media can also be a tool for presenting the image of oneself that the politician wants. Social media provides the power to construct oneself as a person, and as a leader. The purpose of the interdisciplinary research project is thus to develop theories on authentic leadership, an important track today in the field of business leadership. We will do so by bringing in political science and rhetoric, as well as conducting empirical studies, which is unusual in authentic leadership. We will examine and explain who, how and why Swedish leaders use social media, and what consequences this may have. We are also interested in whether and how leaders appear authentic and genuine in their rhetoric through social media. In the project, we want to contribute with both theoretical and practical knowledge about the phenomenon that leaders are active on social media and what it can mean in and for Sweden.