Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Saturday launched an Instagram account, which he said he would use to share glimpses of his daily life with the public.
Ko often posts his opinions about public issues on his Facebook page, which has more than 1.55 million followers, as a way to directly communicate his thoughts.
On Saturday morning, he announced on Facebook that he has opened an Instagram account and said that everyone is welcome to follow it.
Younger generations interact through various social media, Ko said.
While blogs and instant messaging were mainstream less than 10 years ago, the rise of Facebook has changed people’s habits and people like to use live broadcasts to interact with others.
“The phenomenon confirmed Andy Warhol’s famous words: ‘In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,’” Ko wrote. “To keep up with the rapidly changing Internet world, the first step is to boldly try new things.”
“From today on, my Instagram [IG] is officially opened and I will use this new platform to show my daily life,” he said, adding that “go to IG to see the real Ko P,” referring to his nickname.
Taipei City Government spokesman Liu Yi-ting (劉奕霆) said that Ko’s Instagram account is to be operated by the Media Affairs Division.
“The tone [of the posts] will be easy and cover soft policy issues, documenting some behind-the-scenes of events in which the mayor takes part every day, as well as some of Ko’s thoughts on daily life,” he said, adding that Ko’s private Facebook posts will be mainly about his political views and significant policy issues.
Ko’s first post on Instagram was a 34-second video clip showing him sitting at his desk and speaking about the launch of the account, inviting everyone to follow, “keep goodwill and do the best one can,” while urging people to purchase tickets to the upcoming Taipei Universiade next month.
Ko’s Instagram account can be viewed at www.instagram.com/doctorkowj.
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