TL;DR: From owls, jumpshots, and Zuckerberg, Singapore’s Prime Minister is indisputably one of the most popular Singaporeans on social media. Here’s why.
With over 1 million likes on his Facebook Page, our PM, Lee Hsien Loong, is one of the most popular social media influencers around, and probably one of the most familiar with social media at that age (he just turned 64 this month!). Having held a Facebook AMA (ask me anything), and troves of (fabulous!) photos and videos on his page, he’s got a trick or two to teach us about how to win at social media.
Here are 5 ways he won our hearts Facebook likes.
1. “Unusual and Personal”
That’s how PM Lee explains some of his most popular posts. He’s not one to play safe when it comes to social media, favouring mixing serious topics with light-hearted posts. From owls found in the Istana to taking a selfie with his own wax figure in Madame Tussauds, he reveals to us a different side of him that is playful, nostalgic, and quirky, a refreshing break from the usual stuffy politician persona.
Personal, also because he takes some of his own photos. He’s especially fond of sunsets, something that many Singaporeans never seem to notice in their own home. It’s very nice to see Singapore through our PM’s eyes.
2. Wefie King
If you follow our PM’s updates, you would know that this man is pretty well-versed in the art of selfie-taking. Armed with an iPhone, long arms (yea, he is a pretty tall guy), and the occasional selfie-stick, he’s able to squeeze in many excited Singaporeans into the same frame with ease. It’s not uncommon to see Singaporeans posting their #LHL selfies on their own social media pages when they meet him at grassroots events or wherever, showing him as truly the people’s man.
3. Me and the Wife
A staple in his selfie endeavours is his wife, Ho Ching, whom he married in the December of 1985. From his regular #jalanjalan with her to adorable Valentines Day photos, you’d die of a sugary toothache from the interactions they share. It helps that Ho Ching shares her photos as well, so the crazy shippers will be able to indulge in Mister PM’s marital bliss to their hearts’ content.
What’s their ship name again? #HsienChing? #HoLee?
4. Young at Heart
While many politicians suffer from a disconnect with the young, Lee Hsien Loong excels in staying relevant and interesting to his younger followers. He’s well known for his love of wefies and posting sneaky photos of Singaporeans #justforfun, showing his fun and relatable side on top of his serious responsibilities for the country. Who loves his #guesswhere series, hands up!
This ability to win young hearts takes a step further when he revealed that he has one of the most sought-after skills of young Singaporeans — coding. With tech moguls are the superstars of the world, being able to code is a big deal, and while coding is just a hobby for the PM, he shows that he is adept enough to code a Sudoku solver from Javascript, and even released the programme for other coders to look at. Mark Zuckerberg even shared a picture of them together, referring to PM Lee as “one of the only world leaders who knows how to code”.
He also presented him with a gift — a piece of artwork with a computer code he wrote engraved onto it.
Being able to walk the talk is a big deal, and wins him massive brownie points on social media.
5. BFF of the world
This is the biggest trick in social media: the more famous people you fit in a single photograph, the more social media points you get. Remember the near-legendary Ellen’s Oscars selfie? PM Lee isn’t a stranger to this. On top of taking pictures with world leaders (like Jojo Widodo and Obama), he’s also taken pictures with some of the biggest names in tech in Silicon Valley, like Zuckerberg and Tim Cook.
His very recent trip to Silicon Valley was part of Singapore’s work towards becoming a Smart Nation, and the idea of leaders in tech like Zuckerberg and Musk having a say in what Singapore’s future may look like is mind-blowing, and gives us hope of a Jetsonian lifestyle becoming a reality. It’s not surprising that the photographs and posts from and of his entire trip went viral.
But he doesn’t just take pictures of famous people, but takes the effort to introduce people to successful individuals in Singapore, and to talk about everyday Singaporeans to his followers. I love posts like this one! By doing so, he shows that he isn’t above the average Singaporean, and takes the time to appreciate young and old Singaporeans with something to contribute. Truly the world’s BFF.
Now if I could just get into a jumpshot with him…
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