In a recent social media post, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has chosen to share a series of harsh and critical messages she has received. This move has attracted attention, not least because none of the shown comments contain political criticism, but rather seem to promote a personal sympathy for the Prime Minister. Benjamin Rud Elberth, digital chief at the communication agency Operate and former digital chief for the Social Democrats, points out that it is notable that none of the selected comments address mink – a topic that has previously sparked great debate and criticism towards Frederiksen. “It seems striking that ‘Mette Mink’, as she is often called on social media, is not represented in any of the selected messages. It could have added a degree of credibility to the post,” says Elberth.
This type of communication, where politicians share hateful messages they receive to generate sympathy, is not new. Lars Løkke Rasmussen used a similar strategy back in 2016. According to Elberth, it is an effective tool to mobilize sympathy, especially at a time when Frederiksen is weak in the polls. The post, which was shared on both Facebook and Instagram, seems to be carefully planned, both in terms of timing and content. “It’s not something she threw together on a Sunday morning. It’s carefully selected messages, arranged in a way that graphically appeals to emotions,” explains Elberth.
The question then is whether the post has had the desired effect. According to Elberth, it has had a broad impact and created the sympathy and attention that was intended. Mette Frederiksen’s post on Instagram alone has received over 12,000 likes, which is significantly more than her usual posts. B.T. (Berlingske Tidende) has tried to get a comment from Mette Frederiksen, but there has not been a response yet.