Collette Snowden writes in The Conversation (10.2.15) that the old style of political communication is dead:
‘For decades, political communication treated the public as a mob of sheep that simply needed to be herded and pointed in the right direction with appropriate messages and the occasional dog whistle. Today, a more accurate metaphor for the public would be a murmuration of starlings – a mass of surging, synchronised individuals likely to move in an unpredictable direction.
‘Successful political communication must move from the one-sided broadcast model and become more dialogic. This requires listening – not just telling someone that you’re listening. It means paying attention to what they’re saying. Listening also requires being prepared to change opinions or behaviour in response to new information.’