Anti-social media

For Menzies the out-group were the "forgotten people", and for Howard "Howard battlers".

They mightn't have a classification these days, and they don't spend any time on Twitter, but they still vote.

They know what issues are important: they're the ones that affect them directly like the cost of living, housing, employment, education, health and security in old age.

And while they might not have a uni degree, they're not stupid, and they don't like being told to what to do.

When the "too cool" kids push in one direction, they are likely to push back. With Australia in the middle of a welter of Twitter-fuelled push, there's a good chance of an equal and opposite reaction at the next election, despite what the polls say.

The best advice to Australian politicians and journalists could be to spend less time behind the computer and more time out in the yard – that's where reality happens.

Otherwise they might Twit themselves up.