Examining the Use of Social Media by United States Senators

Abstract

The introduction of Web 2.0 in 2004 and its related social media platforms have provided United States Senators with a variety of new ways to interact with their audience and influence that audience’s opinion and actions. In this content based study, using data I have compiled from a variety of social media platforms, I examine to what extent United States Senators are making use of the various social media platforms from their official United States Senate Web Site. This study examines when they joined various social media platforms, what social media platforms are being utilized, and their level of activity, as well as examine and report upon their usage based upon gender, party affiliation, age and the number of years they have served in the Senate. My analysis indicates that the gender, male means being higher than female in most of the tables, has the most influence over social media usage, followed by age, political party, and years in the Senate.