Congressional social media communications: evaluating Senate Twitter usage

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to understand why some Senators choose to use Twitter more frequently than others. Building on past research, which explored causal factors leading to early congressional adoption, theories about why some Senators use Twitter more frequently in their daily communications strategies are developed. Design/methodology/approach A “power user” score was developed by evaluating each Senator’s clout, interactivity, and originality on Twitter. These scores are then used as the dependent variable in a regression model to evaluate which factors influence Senators becoming Twitter “power users.” Findings The study found that: constituent income is positively correlated with heavy use, but constituent education level is not; the more ideological a Senator is the more he or she will be a Twitter power user; the number of days on Twitter is a significant indicator of advanced Twitter usage; and having staff dedicated to social media is positively correlated with being a Twitter power user. Research limitations/implications All Senators in the second session of the 113th Congress (2014) were evaluated. As such, future research hope to expand the data set to additional Senators or the House of Representatives. Practical implications A better understanding of why some Senators use Twitter more than others allows insight into constituent communications strategies and the potential implications of real-time communication on representation, and the role of accountability between a Senator and his or her constituents. Originality/value The study examines constituent communication by Senators in a new, more interactive medium than previously considered. Additionally, the study places findings about Senator’s constituent communication in the broader context of representation.

[1]  Christine B. Williams,et al.  Congressional Candidates' Use of YouTube in 2008: Its Frequency and Rationale , 2010 .

[2]  Brian G. Smith.  Socially distributing public relations: Twitter, Haiti, and interactivity in social media , 2010 .

[3]  Shaowen Wang,et al.  Mapping the global Twitter heartbeat: The geography of Twitter , 2013, First Monday.

[4]  Richard F. Fenno.  Home Style : House Members in Their Districts , 1978 .

[5]  Mark a. Zupan.  The last period problem in politics: Do congressional representatives not subject to a reelection constraint alter their voting behavior? , 1990 .

[6]  M. Griffiths,et al.  Online Social Networking and Addiction—A Review of the Psychological Literature , 2011, International journal of environmental research and public health.

[7]  Ines Mergel.  "Connecting To Congress": The use of Twitter by Members of Congress , 2012 .

[8]  J. Golbeck,et al.  Twitter use by the U.S. Congress , 2010 .

[9]  Jacob R. Straus,et al.  Social Networking and Constituent Communications: Members’ Use of Twitter and Facebook During a Two-Month Period in the 112th Congress , 2013 .

[10]  J. Wiest,et al.  The Arab Spring| Social Media in the Egyptian Revolution: Reconsidering Resource Mobilization Theory , 2011 .

[11]  Chei Sian Lee,et al.  News sharing in social media: The effect of gratifications and prior experience , 2012, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[12]  Senate Incumbent Visibility over the Election Cycle , 1993 .

[13]  Frances E. Lee,et al.  Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation , 1999 .

[14]  S. Fournier,et al.  The Uninvited Brand , 2010 .

[15]  Nicholas A. John.  The Social Logics of Sharing , 2013 .

[16]  Kathy Hammond,et al.  Internet usage: Predictors of Active Users and Frequency of Use , 2000 .

[17]  Yan Jin,et al.  Keeping up with the digital age: How the American Red Cross uses social media to build relationships , 2011 .

[18]  Jamie L. Carson,et al.  Shirking in the Contemporary Congress: A Reappraisal , 2004, Political Analysis.

[19]  Jiyoung Cha.  Factors affecting the frequency and amount of social networking site use: Motivations, perceptions, and privacy concerns , 2010, First Monday.

[20]  Sounman Hong,et al.  Who Benefits from Twitter? Social Media and Political Competition in the U.S. House of Representatives , 2013, Gov. Inf. Q..

[21]  Jamie L. Carson,et al.  The Electoral Costs of Party Loyalty in Congress , 2010 .

[22]  Patrick Walsh,et al.  Why We Follow: An Examination of Parasocial Interaction and Fan Motivations for Following Athlete Archetypes on Twitter , 2012 .

[23]  R. Neustadt,et al.  Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents , 1991 .

[24]  Kevin Driscoll,et al.  YOUTUBE, TWITTER AND THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT , 2013 .

[25]  Daniel M. Romero,et al.  Influence and passivity in social media , 2010, ECML/PKDD.

[26]  R. Peterson.  To tweet or not to tweet: Exploring the determinants of early adoption of Twitter by House members in the 111th Congress , 2012 .

[27]  L. Rothenberg,et al.  Severing the Electoral Connection: Shirking in the Contemporary Congress , 2000 .

[28]  Matthew A. Shapiro,et al.  Doing What I Say: Connecting Congressional Social Media Behavior and Congressional Voting , 2012 .

[29]  H. Assael.  A Demographic and Psychographic Profile of Heavy Internet Users and Users by Type of Internet Usage , 2005, Journal of Advertising Research.

[30]  D. Lilleker,et al.  Microblogging, Constituency Service and Impression Management: UK MPs and the Use of Twitter , 2011, The Impact of Legislatures.

[31]  John R. Hibbing,et al.  Unfastening the Electoral Connection: The Behavior of U.S. Representatives when Reelection Is No Longer a Factor , 1994, The Journal of Politics.

[32]  Russell V. Lenth,et al.  Regression Models for Categorical Dependent Variables Using Stata (rev.) , 2005 .

[33]  Jane J. Mansbridge.  Rethinking Representation , 2003, American Political Science Review.

[34]  Maeve Duggan,et al.  Social Media Update 2016 , 2016 .

[35]  August E. Grant,et al.  The Structure of News Sources on Television: A Network Analysis of “CBS News,”“Nightline,”“MacNeil/Lehrer,” and “This Week with David Brinkley” , 1994 .

[36]  John D. Wilkerson,et al.  Congress and the Politics of Problem Solving , 2013 .

[37]  Wendy J. Schiller,et al.  Senators as Political Entrepreneurs: Using Bill Sponsorship to Shape Legislative Agendas , 1995 .

[38]  Paul R. Brewer,et al.  Candidate Appearances on Soft News Shows and Public Knowledge About Primary Campaigns , 2006 .

[39]  M. Taylor.  An Economic Ranking of the US Presidents, 1789–2009: A Data-Based Approach , 2012, PS: Political Science & Politics.

[40]  Jacob R. Straus,et al.  Communicating in 140 Characters or Less: Congressional Adoption of Twitter in the 111th Congress , 2013, PS: Political Science & Politics.

[41]  Norman H. Nie,et al.  Education and democratic citizenship in America , 1996 .

[42]  Frances E. Lee,et al.  Making Deals in Congress , 2013 .

[43]  Jonathan Woon,et al.  Made in Congress? Testing the Electoral Implications of Party Ideological Brand Names , 2008, The Journal of Politics.

[44]  Jacob R. Straus,et al.  Social Networking and Constituent Communications: Member Use of Twitter During a Two-Month Period in the 111th Congress , 2010 .