Know Your Leader: Nirmala Sitharaman

Nirmala Sitharaman is the second woman to ever head the office for the Ministry of Finance. Here's a glimpse into how she uses social media as a communication tool

Nirmala Sitharaman — Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs

Social Media Footprint

Much of Sitharaman's social media focuses on her work as a Union Minister. Her transition from being a Defence Minister to a Finance Minister, as reflected on these profiles, is much like a department change. The communication patterns have remained primarily the same.

The tone of her communication is that of a team player, especially on Twitter. Much of the conversation are re-tweets of the tweets by her ministry and colleagues. She does not engage in conversations though.

Her Facebook page is an exhaustively documented timeline of her day-to-day travels and meetings in a professional capacity. It is almost a website detailing her life as a Union Minister.

On Instagram, her persona is that of a boss woman giving her followers a glimpse into her work day and professional milestones.

Though there is a lot of duplication of content across platforms, her Instagram gives us better rhetoric of how she seemingly likes to be perceived as — a strong female politician doing her best.

Sharing a slice of work

As a Defence Minister at the time, Sitharaman played a pivotal role in creating strong yet humane imagery in regards to defence personnel, sharing her formal as well as informal moments of interaction with them.

From watching Uri: The Surgical Strike and asking 'How's the Josh?' to sharing images of meeting Wing Commander Abhinandan in the hospital — she was able to put forth a part of her that was relatable for anyone in a leadership position.

People Connect

Ahead of #Budget2019, citizens were asked to share their opinions and suggestions on what they expect from the budget. Later, she tweeted assuring them that she is listening, gaining much appreciation from all.

This is a part of the series — Know Your Leader. It's a series by Social Samosa where we put across a concise analysis of how our cabinet ministers use social media to communicate. You can read all the parts here.