Tweetheads: An Exploratory Analysis of Twitter Use by Heads of State Across the Democracy Index

Twitter has become a prominent platform for world leaders to communicate with the public. As an exploratory analysis, we investigate its use by nine heads of state across the democracy index. Using a frequency analysis from qualitative coding, we did not find significant differences in Twitter use among leaders of democratic and authoritarian regimes, except when it comes to condemning others, requesting cooperation, or discussing the environment. We also find some indication that leaders of 'flawed democratic governments,' particularly Donald Trump, have communication patterns via Twitter similar to those of populist states.