In October 2018, @sweden stopped tweeting. For seven years, the first official national Twitter account to be turned over to ordinary citizens -- a different curator each week, 356 in all -- had entertained and educated the world with a melange of Swedish messaging. The idea was to present the country through a “mix of skills, experiences and opinions.” The curators were free to write whatever they wanted, as long as the tweets didn’t break the law, promote a commercial brand, or pose a security threat. Hate speech and personal attacks were avoided by all.
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- However, some of the curators did provoke controversy, such as those who trolled Denmark and Donald Trump.
- The project, known as Curators of Sweden, was initiated by the Swedish Institute and has attracted some 150,000 Twitter followers. Ireland liked the idea so much that they followed suit with a similar citizen-led account: @ireland..
- “It was a groundbreaking initiative when it was launched,” said Anna Rudels of the Swedish Institute, adding: “Every project has an end, and it is time for us to move on.”
