| US Congress united on social media |
WASHINGTON Democrats and Republicans in Congress may be split over how to deal with the US debt and a host of other issues but they are united when it comes to social media.
Members of the House of Representatives and the Senate from both parties have seized on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube and integrated them into their communications operations, according to a report published late on Tuesday.
The survey of congressional staff by the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) found that most members of Congress are using social media to “gauge public opinion, communicate with constituents, and reach new people.”
It found some resistance to the new media tools among older staffers but most congressional staffers surveyed said Facebook, Twitter and YouTube now rival more traditional communications tools.
“While congressional offices may lag behind some leading private-sector organisations in their use of Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, the legislative branch has adopted social media much more quickly than it adopted other technologies, such as fax machines, email and websites,” the report said.
“Social media tools have been adopted more rapidly than previous technologies,” said Bradford Fitch, CMF president and chief executive.
“These technologies are starting to change how Congress communicates with their constituents and is allowing members to reach citizens who otherwise might not engage in the democratic dialogue,” Fitch said.
The CMF, a nonpartisan group, surveyed 260 congressional staff on social media between October and December 2010.
Sixty-four per cent of the senior managers and social media managers surveyed said that Facebook is a somewhat or very important tool for understanding the views and opinions of constituents.
The survey suggested there was a generational divide when it came to the use of social media among congressional staffers.
Agence France-Presse
|
 |
|
|
| NEWS UPDATES |
|
|
|
|
|
|
