Social Networking and Committee Communications: Use of Twitter and Facebook in the 113th Congress

Summary

Communications between congressional committees and constituents and stakeholder groups have changed with the development of social networking services. Many committees now use email, official websites, blogs, YouTube channels, Twitter, Facebook, and other services—technologies that were either nonexistent or not widely available until recently—to communicate with Members of Congress, constituents, and stakeholder groups.

Social networking services have arguably served to enhance the ability of congressional committees to reach Members of Congress, constituents, and stakeholder groups and to widely disseminate committee actions and announcements. In addition, electronic communication technology has reduced the marginal cost of communication; unlike postal letters, social media can reach a large audience for a fixed cost.

These advances are altering how Members organize and manage their personal and committee offices and impacting the ability of Members to gather support for political and policy goals. Perhaps most importantly, they may transform the very nature of representation in the United States.

This report examines committee adoption and use of two social networking services: Twitter and Facebook. The report analyzes data on committee use of Twitter and Facebook collected by an academic institution in collaboration with the Congressional Research Service during a 4½-month period between June and October 2013. This report analyzes the following questions related to committee use of Twitter and Facebook:

How many committees have adopted Twitter and Facebook?

How widely are committee social media accounts followed?

How much are committees using Twitter and Facebook?

What are committees tweeting and posting about?

Are committees interacting with other users on Twitter and Facebook?

This report provides a snapshot of a dynamic process. As with any new technology, the number of committees using Twitter and Facebook, and the patterns of use, may change rapidly in short periods of time. As a result, the conclusions drawn from these data cannot be easily generalized or used to predict future behavior.

Finally, the report examines the possible implications of committees using Twitter and Facebook. The analysis focuses on interaction between committees and the public, real-time communications and changes in constituent feedback, and outreach to the public through social media.