Political Communication 
Why do we need to communicate with elected officials? : The Importance of Communication
The United States of America is a Democracy, and because it is a Democracy, we elect politicians to office to represent our views and ultimately, represent us. These representative institutions, the House of Representatives and the Senate, provide a link between constituents and their elective officials. “Scholars identify three core functions of legislatures: linking citizens to government, legitimizing government actions and making decisions” (1)
Communication is defined as “a systematic process by which people interact with symbols to create and interpret meanings” The Internet has had an amazing impact on political communications. Before the Internet, politicians and potential politicians were restricted with their options to communicate with constituents or potential voters. These were highly one-way means of communication, meaning that they would give messages to the public, but not really get much back in response. They did this through radio, television, billboards, mailings or yard signs. Today however, elected officials or those who hope to be, have a wide variety of ways to get their messages out to the masses and create connections with their voters. The political communication model has become a two-way model, where the communication occurs in a system between politicians and constituents.
Check out the video below for more information about this changing landscape and then continue to read about how communications between Politicians and Constituents has changed.
How do we communicate with politicians? : The Emergence of Social Media
The Council for Research Excellence has found that television is the most-used form of media for getting news, yet the public is increasing to go online to find out information about political candidates or political news in general. While it is the norm today for our elected officials to have websites and email addresses for us to communicate with them, the emergence of new media has started to predicate the online world.
New Media: Internet Politicians
Check out this article: Politicians incorporating Social Media
As mentioned in class:
Campaign websites and related web-tools serve four functions
- Informing: Provide info about the candidate, the campaign, and issue positions
- Involving: provide opportunities fore users to interact, engage and become involved
- Connecting: provide bridges for users to connect with other political actors
- Mobilizing: to persuade and equip supporters to promote the candidate to others both online and offline
So how can we contact our elected officials and how do they contact us? We can email them, but based on my personal experience as an intern for a state Senator, it is usually the interns or the legislative assistance that end up answering our questions and addressing our concerns. We can take surveys, visit the politician’s website or try and call our politician and set up a meeting. But unless you can get a ticket to Washington D.C., this probably won’t happen. So how do we find out what our elected official is up to or even communicate how we are feeling about what they are doing? Today we can now become a fan of their Facebook page, follow them on Twitter, or watch their YouTube videos.
Former Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill said that “All politics is local”and with the emergence of social media this is becoming more and more relevant. We now expect our elected officials to connect with us on a more personal level and social media has given them a forum to do just this. The two-way model of communication has become the norm because of social media. Social media has the potential to be an integral part of the conversation between government and the electorate. Not only has social media increased methods of communications, but it also has created tools for increased civic engagement. Politicians are also using new social media communications tools as pieces of their communications strategy. Social media has changed the way politicians communicate with their constituents and they can do this because new media can quickly mobilize supporters, humanize themselves and convey messages to constituents on a personal level rather than through traditional media.
Article: Local Politicians Use Social Media to Connect with Vote
Politicians Using now “Traditional” Means of Communication: Websites and Email
Senator Al Franken’s Senate Website
Notice how this website has different tabs, including a “contact us” link.
Senator Franken has a very typical senate website, and offers several means for constituents to obtain information and contact the Senator
Senator Amy Klobuchar’s Senate Website
Similarly, Senator Klobuchar has a very informative website, including a “Contact Amy” link.
Both of these websites are sophisticated, and provide constituents with important information about the Senators and about Minnesota.
Politicians Using Social Media: Twitter
A growing trend among politicians is the popular social networking site Twitter. Using Twitter not only allows politicians to provide up-to-date information to their constituents but also provides a forum for comments and expression. Whether it is the political aides or the actual politicians themselves using the Twitter account, the result is a level of access to politicians that was before thought impossible.
Using Twitter can be a risk for some politicians. A medium thought as a “youthful” fad has turned into an ageless network. But questions have arisen regarding whether or not politicians are really taking full advantage of Twitter. While some use it to keep constituents up-to-date on their appearances, bill votes or upcoming events others have used it as an opportunity to say what they can’t say on traditional media outlets. The poor use of grammar and spelling has also been criticized. Because Twitter can be used portably, it can allow politicians to use Twitter on their phone. This was seen in a recent presidential address, when the cameras panned the room the audience could see several politicians tweeting away on their BlackBerry phones.
Not only has Twitter influenced individual politicians but has also created a movement of followers. Various organizations have developed via the Internet. Some include:
- GovTwit Directory is a project to monitor all levels of Government that use Twitter, which includes Federal, State and Local politicians. http://GovTwit.com/
- Tweet Congress, developed from a Texas-based web development shop, was launched to allow users to search for their own Congressional officials on Twitter and has a petition for them to send to their elected official if they are not on Twitter. http://tweetcongress.org/
- Check out the video!
Tweet your way to health care reform
Politicians Using Social Media: YouTube
YouTube has become a popular means for politicians to get their messages out to their constituents. The YouTube model provides a place that is different from television ads, where viewers can comment, and form a conversation about the content almost immediately. YouTube provides a tool where viewers can subscribe to certain channels and share video. It has become a forum for discussion for constituents, and because politicians can comment or provide feedback, the two-way model of communication is satisfied. In this video, How to use YouTube for Politics, a user stated, “YouTube has become the world’s largest town-hall for political discussion.”
Even more informative of politicians use of YouTube is the video posted by the Senate and House, Welcome to YouTube, Congress. They have their own YouTube channel, either SenateHub or HouseHub where members can post and create their own videos. The site states, “This is your backstage pass to the U.S. Senate, on YouTube. Find your Senator’s YouTube channel by clicking on the map, or discover senatorial committee channels by clicking on Washington D.C.”
Senate and House leaders both have their own YouTube Channels. The Senate and House offices control the content on the Senate and House channels. These sites can be censored, and viewers who wish to write unfavorable comments may be deleted.
Check out the Senate and House YouTube Channels:
Other examples of how YouTube has influenced the world of politics:
Campaigns: Hundreds of thousands of people responded to Senator Clinton’s request for them to vote for her campaign with this YouTube video song: Hillary Campaign Song Video. Or popular political videos like the “Crush on Obama” video: Crush on Obama
Politicians Using Social Media: Facebook
Facebook has changed the way people communicate and interact. This social network is currently the most popular website so it’s no wonder politicians are using its tools to their advantage. With an email address, anyone can have a Facebook account, and therefore can have a direct link to their political representative. From loading videos, updating their status, or uploading information about nearly anything, politicians can personalize and become closer to their constituents.
Citizens no longer have to be observers in the political process, with these new social media tools it is easier for us to be actively participating. New media allows people to feel closer to politicians and to stay informed at all times, making the people we elected to represent us accountable for their actions and aware of their constituents.
