(1/12) How I fell in love with social media & the EU, and made that my whole career, a thread.
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(2/12) Where did it all start? Probably in New York. When I was 11, my family up and moved across the Atlantic. This was the early 2000s, social media wasn’t a thing yet, but the internet was my way to stay connected to my home country. There were some pretty big cultural moments I missed out on, like the 2006 World Cup, Tokyo Hotel, and the start of Sido’s rap career. Blogs and precursors of modern day social media, like chatrooms, were my way to hold on to Germany and my sense of “Home”.
(3/12) It’s also in New York where I had my first contact with international organisations. I went to a German school there, and some of the kids in my class had parents working at the United Nations, or in embassies. It’s pretty early on that I visited the UN Headquarters, and when the Security guard said to us “You are now leaving US territory” I felt instantly at home. So there was a sense of “this is what I want to do with my life” already then.
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(3/12) It’s also in New York where I had my first contact with international organisations. I went to a German school there, and some of the kids in my class had parents working at the United Nations, or in embassies. It’s pretty early on that I visited the UN Headquarters, and when the Security guard said to us “You are now leaving US territory” I felt instantly at home. So there was a sense of “this is what I want to do with my life” already then.
(4/12) In 2007, I moved from the US back to Germany. This time round I was pining for the US. Facebook was just coming out and that was my way to stay connected with friends across the “big pond”. This period of my life is also the time I realised I was not straight. It’s damn lonely in the closet, but American websites like Trevorspace were a way to connect safely and anonymously with other teens going through the same stuff. For me, in those days, social media was a lifeline.
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(4/12) In 2007, I moved from the US back to Germany. This time round I was pining for the US. Facebook was just coming out and that was my way to stay connected with friends across the “big pond”. This period of my life is also the time I realised I was not straight. It’s damn lonely in the closet, but American websites like Trevorspace were a way to connect safely and anonymously with other teens going through the same stuff. For me, in those days, social media was a lifeline.
️(5/12) In 2010 I joined my first session of the European Youth Parliament, and I was hooked, instantly. The EYP brings together young people from all over Europe to debate politics, and… do fun stuff. Social media was a big part of the EYP experience too. After every session I’d get tons of friend requests, and we'd use Facebook groups find new sessions to apply to. At sessions I usually joined the media teams, learnt how to make videos, layout magazines, and create blog after blog.
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(5/12) In 2010 I joined my first session of the European Youth Parliament, and I was hooked, instantly. The EYP brings together young people from all over Europe to debate politics, and… do fun stuff. Social media was a big part of the EYP experience too. After every session I’d get tons of friend requests, and we'd use Facebook groups find new sessions to apply to. At sessions I usually joined the media teams, learnt how to make videos, layout magazines, and create blog after blog.
(6/12) I joined Twitter in 2011, right after high school. I had time to kill, and I wanted to get creative on the internet. I also started a tumblr. God I miss early 2010s tumblr. Social media was just this silly thing, no one was making it their career. Influencers weren’t a thing yet. That’s also when I coined the handle I still use today: HPOD is actually an acronym for “Hamlet Prince of Denmark”, I was a bit of a theatre nerd in those days, and I was Hamlet in my last school play.
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(6/12) I joined Twitter in 2011, right after high school. I had time to kill, and I wanted to get creative on the internet. I also started a tumblr. God I miss early 2010s tumblr. Social media was just this silly thing, no one was making it their career. Influencers weren’t a thing yet. That’s also when I coined the handle I still use today: HPOD is actually an acronym for “Hamlet Prince of Denmark”, I was a bit of a theatre nerd in those days, and I was Hamlet in my last school play.
(7/12) After school, I moved to the Netherlands to study European Law, because that sounded like a very serious degree. But I was not meant to be a lawyer. Social media and my growing number of blogs became my outlet, a place to live out the creativity that my law degree was stifling. Ironic, that the very thing I procrastinated with became my career. I ended up entering a video contest on Facebook and won a trip to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
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(7/12) After school, I moved to the Netherlands to study European Law, because that sounded like a very serious degree. But I was not meant to be a lawyer. Social media and my growing number of blogs became my outlet, a place to live out the creativity that my law degree was stifling. Ironic, that the very thing I procrastinated with became my career. I ended up entering a video contest on Facebook and won a trip to visit the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
️(8/12) In March 2016, I moved to Brussels to do an internship with the European Parliament’s social media team. Social media for large intergovernmental organisations was still in its infancy then. We had fun, posted cat GIFs, we were even on Snapchat. In my first week there, I rapped on our snap story. Thankfully that video is lost to the ether… My mom and my law school friends did not think I had a *real job*.
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(1/12) How I fell in love with social media & the EU, and made that my whole career, a thread.
This isn’t TikTok (thankfully), but let’s do a bit of *Storytime* anyway.
I’m Hannah and I’m a social media manager for the EU.
Sometimes I still can’t believe that’s my real job. -
(8/12) In March 2016, I moved to Brussels to do an internship with the European Parliament’s social media team. Social media for large intergovernmental organisations was still in its infancy then. We had fun, posted cat GIFs, we were even on Snapchat. In my first week there, I rapped on our snap story. Thankfully that video is lost to the ether… My mom and my law school friends did not think I had a *real job*.
(9/12) 2016 was also the year of the #Brexit referendum Tr*mp’s election. It was the beginning of a new era for politics on social media. The Cambridge Analytica scandal meant that people started losing trust in these platforms, while law-makers buckled up and tightened rules on political advertising. Higher-ups started paying more attention to what the social media teams were doing, and at only 23 I found myself giving trainings on how to use Twitter to people wayyy above me.
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(9/12) 2016 was also the year of the #Brexit referendum Tr*mp’s election. It was the beginning of a new era for politics on social media. The Cambridge Analytica scandal meant that people started losing trust in these platforms, while law-makers buckled up and tightened rules on political advertising. Higher-ups started paying more attention to what the social media teams were doing, and at only 23 I found myself giving trainings on how to use Twitter to people wayyy above me.
(10/12) In 2018 I went back to University, joined a political party and started campaigning for the 2019 European Elections. When COVID hit in 2020 I was between graduating from my Masters in Eastern European Studies (
Slava Ukraini) and doing yet another internship, this time with a Member of the European Parliament. Doing social media to get votes was definitely different from communicating on behalf of an institution... -
(10/12) In 2018 I went back to University, joined a political party and started campaigning for the 2019 European Elections. When COVID hit in 2020 I was between graduating from my Masters in Eastern European Studies (
Slava Ukraini) and doing yet another internship, this time with a Member of the European Parliament. Doing social media to get votes was definitely different from communicating on behalf of an institution...(11/12) Since 2023, I work for the European Commission (again). I mainly do community management, which means I spend a lot of time in the comments. It’s not always the easiest place to be. I’ve deprioritised my personal social media, and I’ve had to learn to manage my relationship to addictive apps and algorithms. Geopolitics play a bigger and bigger role for the EU, and that reflects on social media too. More people are asking themselves: can we still rely on the US and American tech giants?
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(11/12) Since 2023, I work for the European Commission (again). I mainly do community management, which means I spend a lot of time in the comments. It’s not always the easiest place to be. I’ve deprioritised my personal social media, and I’ve had to learn to manage my relationship to addictive apps and algorithms. Geopolitics play a bigger and bigger role for the EU, and that reflects on social media too. More people are asking themselves: can we still rely on the US and American tech giants?
(12/12) So that’s it for my little summary on a 10-year social media career in international politics. I like to say it’s a career that grew up with me. If I were a comic book character, this would be my origin story.
PS: My mom does think it’s a real job now.Back to the top of the thread: https://eupolicy.social/@hpod16/115957707831878119
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(1/12) How I fell in love with social media & the EU, and made that my whole career, a thread.
This isn’t TikTok (thankfully), but let’s do a bit of *Storytime* anyway.
I’m Hannah and I’m a social media manager for the EU.
Sometimes I still can’t believe that’s my real job.@hpod16 That’s fantastic Hannah, I’m def reading this whole thread 🧵 interesting to me
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(12/12) So that’s it for my little summary on a 10-year social media career in international politics. I like to say it’s a career that grew up with me. If I were a comic book character, this would be my origin story.
PS: My mom does think it’s a real job now.Back to the top of the thread: https://eupolicy.social/@hpod16/115957707831878119
@hpod16 very interesting! Thanks for the write up!
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@oelschle Ummm, hi! How do I do that?
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@oelschle Ummm, hi! How do I do that?
@hpod16 @oelschle You self-verify by linking to a website that you control.
Instructions: https://docs.joinmastodon.org/user/profile/#verification
If these are too difficult, here's another guide by @FediTips https://fedi.tips/how-do-i-verify-my-account/
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@oelschle Ummm, hi! How do I do that?
@hpod16 @oelschle you're supposed to add a tag to a webpage named in your profile. https://joinmastodon.org/verification
But I think the domain you're using is sort of a validation in itself
https://eupolicy.social/aboutI guess maybe @oelschle isn't aware of that.
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@hpod16 @oelschle you're supposed to add a tag to a webpage named in your profile. https://joinmastodon.org/verification
But I think the domain you're using is sort of a validation in itself
https://eupolicy.social/aboutI guess maybe @oelschle isn't aware of that.
@leanderlindahl @oelschle Ahh, well I'm here very much in a personal capacity so I cannot verify my account. Not a spokesperson, just someone who works with social media
sorry to disappoint -
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(12/12) So that’s it for my little summary on a 10-year social media career in international politics. I like to say it’s a career that grew up with me. If I were a comic book character, this would be my origin story.
PS: My mom does think it’s a real job now.Back to the top of the thread: https://eupolicy.social/@hpod16/115957707831878119
@hpod16 Sorry. It's completely a side issue, but what eventually convinced your mom?
(In a previous generation, my dad as an old-school civil servant doing admin never really grasped my work in politics and policy.)
