[Illustration: Loukia Kattis]
There are two parallel universes. On the one hand, a digital world operating at the speeds of TikTok or Twitter, standing ecstatic, enthusiastic or skeptical in front of innovations in artificial intelligence, harnessing the possibilities of ChatGPT, trying to perceive the changes taking place in everything from the environment to employment. On the other hand, there is the world of politics, largely distant, which, in pre-election periods takes on a forced familiarity, walks the streets and squares, smiles, shakes hands, talks to young people, shopkeepers, addresses the diminishing crowds, and makes promises – that’s the main thing. It promises the best for the country’s economy, for citizens’ incomes, for taxation, for security, for health, for education.
The first universe is modern, born of the 21st century, with whatever that entails. The second universe has no real age. We have been encountering it since the restoration of democracy and it is mainly unchanged, incorporating only minor changes. Is it old, or it is simply timeless, odorless and tasteless because of its perpetual repetition? We describe political speeches as “stale.” But the problem is not the staleness or lack of empathy. It is the fact that the personal message to each prospective voter is lost in the sea of generalities. That is how it is done. Politics is the realm of generality. If a party leader slips and speaks more specifically, they risk being ruined. How can they discuss the increasingly visible issue of mental health? Or teenage delinquency? What can they say about corruption in the police force? Obviously, a politician does not have to speak exclusively about thorny or more vague issues. But even if one of those issues was added to the expected agenda of topics it would create a welcome break in the pre-election routine.
And then come pretentious communication tricks on TikTok or Twitter. This is how politicians try to appeal to those who don’t watch television debates or read or simply belong to a different generation. But is this the meeting point of the perpetual yesterday and the galloping today? Or is today simply impersonating yesterday, clumsily and compulsively? Pretentious communication stunts increase the distance between the two sides. The two universes remain parallel. The medium is not to blame for this distance – it’s the message.
