Schellhorns social media scandal: resignation or apology required!

Schellhorns social media scandal: resignation or apology required!

Hamburg, Deutschland - Neos State Secretary Sepp Schellhorn is under massive pressure after deleting his private social media channels on Instagram and YouTube. His homepage www.seppschellhorn.at is also no longer available. FPÖ general secretary Michael Schledlitz calls for a comprehensive information about the motives behind the deleted accounts and their financial aspects. Schledlitz also questions whether Schellhorn violated a ban on a profession during his term as a state secretary, because he continues to operate an online shop and produced advertising videos.

The current events raise questions about transparency and monetization of Schellhorn's social media channels. Schledlitz demands clarity about the financing of a recent trip to Hamburg, at which Schellhorn appeared at an influencer festival and shared photos from a luxury restaurant. "Should he have hired his office as State Secretary instead of looking after his social media channels?" asks Schledlitz. He complains that Schellhorn made mistakes in the first hundred days of his term in office and demands an apology and resignation.

public outrage and social media

The public reaction to Schellhorn's behavior is not only shown in the political discussions, but also in social media. A shitstorm recently ignited the exchange of his company car for a "luxury car" in times when politics has been forced to save. This decision is sharply criticized by the opposition, in particular by the FPÖ and the Greens. Green Secretary General Olga Voglauer expresses understanding of the anger of the citizens and emphasizes the need for a transparent way of acting.

Schellhorn himself reported in an interview that he was during a train journey from Schwarzach-St. Veit was confronted with personal insults to Salzburg. The insults included drastic terms such as "Drecksau!", "Gewer!" And "wrong dog!". These incidents reflect the strong polarization that prevails in the political landscape and which is reinforced by social media.

The influence of social media on politics

social media play an increasingly central role in political communication. They enable political actors to communicate directly with the public without relying on traditional journalistic channels. According to the Federal Center for Political Education, social media open up new opportunities to directly contact political institutions and to hear their voices. This hybrid media system promotes exchange between citizens, politicians and journalists.

In Germany, more and more citizens have been stating to pursue information online mainly since 2022. Platforms such as Instagram and YouTube have developed into important channels to achieve younger voters. The change in the communication flow shows the need for a robust community management in order to react to user questions and to moderate insulting comments, which is particularly relevant in the current situation about Schellhorn.

The challenges of digital communication are diverse. They range from data protection issues to Hatespeech and polarization. It remains to be seen how political authorities and society will deal with these challenges, especially in view of the critical situation in which Sepp Schellhorn is currently.

For more information about the current developments, read the reporting on OTS href = "https://www.weekend.at/politik/sepp-schellhorn-a8-dieglung-ns comparison"> Weekend and bpb.de .