Kurz talks social media at UN
Austria's 28-year-old foreign minister Sebastian Kurz began his address to the UN General Assembly on Saturday by acknowledging his youth and referring to the age of social media.
"I look a bit younger than most of the other speakers before," Kurz said. "Indeed, I believe I am the only person under the age of 30 who has the privilege of speaking here this week."
"What I can offer is the perspective of a young generation," Kurz added.
Kurz described himself as part of the post-Cold War generation of European young adults who "communicate without borders on Facebook and Twitter, we have our entire lives on our smartphones and we consume the news online."
He has more than 60,000 Facebook "likes," which compares favorably with his European counterparts.
He also spoke of the rise of extremism and the ability of militant groups to recruit online. "How is it possible that we allow terrorist organisations to abuse the right to freedom of expression by showing their barbaric acts on social media?" he asked.
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"I look a bit younger than most of the other speakers before," Kurz said. "Indeed, I believe I am the only person under the age of 30 who has the privilege of speaking here this week."
"What I can offer is the perspective of a young generation," Kurz added.
Kurz described himself as part of the post-Cold War generation of European young adults who "communicate without borders on Facebook and Twitter, we have our entire lives on our smartphones and we consume the news online."
He has more than 60,000 Facebook "likes," which compares favorably with his European counterparts.
He also spoke of the rise of extremism and the ability of militant groups to recruit online. "How is it possible that we allow terrorist organisations to abuse the right to freedom of expression by showing their barbaric acts on social media?" he asked.
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