Abstract

The rapidly evolving world of social media has transformed how we communicate with each other. It has even revolutionized how Members of Congress communicate with and present themselves to their constituents, rendering mail and franking regulations almost irrelevant. Nearly every Member of Congress has adopted Facebook and Twitter, but this is only a share of their total social media presence. This report explores the adoption and use of platforms beyond Facebook and Twitter by Members of Congress, candidates for open congressional seats, and Texas Legislators. To understand how Members are using social media and identify trends, we conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis of their adoption and usage of select platforms.

We collected original data on the adoption of social media platforms by Members of Congress, and we used descriptive and bivariate statistics to identify trends in both adoption and usage. We also conducted case studies and coded the content of posts for select Members of Congress, congressional candidates, and Texas Legislators. Finally, we supplemented our case studies through surveys and interviews with campaign staff, Texas Legislature staff, and social media consultants.

Our findings confirm that Facebook and Twitter are the most widely adopted and used platforms by all three groups. But other platforms enjoy as wide of adoption or are growing in importance. Adoption of YouTube is as universal as Twitter adoption among Members of Congress. The most widely adopted platforms beyond Facebook and Twitter are YouTube, Instagram, Flickr, Google+, and Medium. We have identified Instagram, the fourth most widely adopted platform, and Snapchat as emerging platforms.

The average Member of Congress has adopted six platforms—though they are not all necessarily linked to the Member’s official website. We found several noteworthy trends in platform adoption based on the personal characteristics and district demographics of Members. Party affiliation, age, and tenure are the main factors that influence platform adoption and usage. Democrats tend to adopt more platforms than their Republican counterparts. Younger and newer Member also tend to adopt more platforms. Similar trends that predict a Member’s adoption of platforms also indicate their likeliness to increase usage of the platforms. Members who represent districts that are wealthier, younger, and more urban, tend to adopt more platforms.

We identified trends in platform-specific uses of social media by individual Members, candidates, and legislators. Members tend to use the most widely adopted platforms for the following uses: YouTube for issue position and media coverage posts, Instagram for personal and district posts, and Medium for vote explanations and issue position posts. We also identified differences in adoption among the three groups. Platform adoption among Members of Congress tends to vary more widely, while congressional candidates and Texas Legislators tend to use tried and tested platforms due to their lower level of visibility and resources.

Social media will continue to shape interactions between elected officials and their constituents, and allow elected officials to communicate in ways that were not previously possible. The ever evolving nature of social media makes it challenging to predict the future uses and trends of platforms. In just the time that we conducted our research, we saw the end of Vine and the advent of both Facebook Live and Instagram Live. But we can predict that Facebook and Twitter will continue to dominate, especially if Facebook continues to replicate the functions of other platforms. Other platforms are growing in adoption and usage though, and understanding how these emerging platforms, new trends, and novel uses are shaping the communications of Members of Congress are essential to understanding their personas as elected officials and their interactions with constituents.

Links

• University of Texas Libraries

Citation

Greenberg, S.R., 2017. Members of Congress & Social Media: Beyond Facebook and Twitter (Policy Research Project Report No. 195). Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs.