The UK's new digital minister hasn't tweeted since 2015
It's so reassuring when a politician with expert knowledge of a subject gets appointed to the topmost position of power in the country.
Unfortunately, that is not what happened in the UK when Theresa May appointed a new digital minister — a man with virtually no online presence whatsoever. Great.
Jeremy Wright was appointed the new Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport. He replaces Matt Hancock, who has a very active social media presence and, most notably, launched his own app.
Well, Wright hasn't built his own app. But he has posted two whole tweets since joining Twitter in 2015. Oh, and he hasn't actually tweeted anything since 2015, a DCMS spokesperson confirmed to Mashable.
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His first tweet is quite something. "Set up my offical [sic] Twitter account," wrote Wright.
This truly riveting tweet garnered a whopping four likes, and 11 retweets.
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Two days later, Wright tweeted again. "I have since updated my Twitter handle to comply with regulations," he wrote. "Please share." Yeah, I think we'll pass on sharing. Eight people did RT it, though.
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It doesn't stop there. As political journalist Ross Kempsell noted on Twitter, Wright has mentioned the word "digital" only twice during his 13 years in parliament. That's one mention for every tweet he's posted!
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The Drum confirmed Kempsell's tweet by looking at Hansard data.
Wright is, however, on Facebook. On there, he posts things like this:
A DCMS spokesperson wasn't sure whether Wright has an Instagram account.
To be fair, being active on social media isn't an instant indicator of leadership or vision and it doesn't necessarily mean someone has a better understanding of digital. But it certainly would instil a sense of confidence at a time when it's in short supply.
Good luck in your new job Mr Wright!
Topics Politics
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
