In addition to this experience research,
Posted: Sat Jan 18, 2025 5:59 am
A national social media survey by research agency Newcom Research & Consultancy earlier this year showed that 59% of Dutch people indicated Facebook as the most important platform. Fast-growing networks such as Instagram and Pinterest are hardly used by members of parliament.
Main platform according to members of parliament
Why do our national representatives still choose Twitter as the most important medium? The research reveals three reasons: to show openness to citizens, to enter into dialogue with citizens and to be there for citizens.
Members of Parliament find Twitter important for
If we follow the above reasoning, you can ask the question why our national politicians find Facebook less important than Twitter. After all, most Dutch people are on a different platform than where members of parliament spread their messages.
Politicians find conversations with citizens important, but hardly follow them
If you look at the accounts that politicians themselves follow, you get a new interesting observation. They mainly follow other politicians, journalists, experts and news accounts. Incidentally, we also see this 'us-follows-us' principle with journalists. Sanne Kruikemeijer concluded after her research into the Twitter behaviour of members of parliament during election time that they also sent few personal, interactive tweets. At the same time, she saw a small effect of the use of Twitter on the number of preferential votes that the candidates received.
Screenshot (36)
Of the members of the House of Representatives surveyed, 44% say they find it important to engage in conversation with citizens on Twitter. Although you don't necessarily have to follow someone on Twitter to engage in conversation, the number of citizen accounts followed by politicians is at least remarkably low.
it is interesting for follow-up research to see whether members of parliament actually engage in conversation with citizens. Our research at local level showed that local politicians from Alphen aan den Rijn mainly sent their own messages and conversed with other politicians. There were hardly any Twitter conversations with residents without a pronounced political color.
But what do national politicians use Twitter for in practice? The research makes belgium mobile phone number list a distinction between daily and weekly users. In the figure below you can see what the members of parliament themselves suggested.
Daily work of MPs Twitter
Should MPs now all go to Facebook?
The great thing about the research is that it shows the experience of members of the House of Representatives (and political journalists). There are often differences between the experience and the actual use of social media. The use of Twitter by politicians is often one-way traffic. But should politicians now switch en masse to Facebook, as Minister Timmermans has done? For the visibility of the political game for citizens, that would indeed be a smart move. Simply because more citizens use Facebook.
But if the level of interaction and the use of the medium on Facebook follows the same patterns as the current use on Twitter, it will make little difference in closing the gap between citizens and politics. In that case, Facebook will only become a new platform where politicians display their political slogans. And that would be a shame.
Source images in article: Twitter and the House of Representatives/Weber Shandwick . Photo intro courtesy of Fotolia.
Main platform according to members of parliament
Why do our national representatives still choose Twitter as the most important medium? The research reveals three reasons: to show openness to citizens, to enter into dialogue with citizens and to be there for citizens.
Members of Parliament find Twitter important for
If we follow the above reasoning, you can ask the question why our national politicians find Facebook less important than Twitter. After all, most Dutch people are on a different platform than where members of parliament spread their messages.
Politicians find conversations with citizens important, but hardly follow them
If you look at the accounts that politicians themselves follow, you get a new interesting observation. They mainly follow other politicians, journalists, experts and news accounts. Incidentally, we also see this 'us-follows-us' principle with journalists. Sanne Kruikemeijer concluded after her research into the Twitter behaviour of members of parliament during election time that they also sent few personal, interactive tweets. At the same time, she saw a small effect of the use of Twitter on the number of preferential votes that the candidates received.
Screenshot (36)
Of the members of the House of Representatives surveyed, 44% say they find it important to engage in conversation with citizens on Twitter. Although you don't necessarily have to follow someone on Twitter to engage in conversation, the number of citizen accounts followed by politicians is at least remarkably low.
it is interesting for follow-up research to see whether members of parliament actually engage in conversation with citizens. Our research at local level showed that local politicians from Alphen aan den Rijn mainly sent their own messages and conversed with other politicians. There were hardly any Twitter conversations with residents without a pronounced political color.
But what do national politicians use Twitter for in practice? The research makes belgium mobile phone number list a distinction between daily and weekly users. In the figure below you can see what the members of parliament themselves suggested.
Daily work of MPs Twitter
Should MPs now all go to Facebook?
The great thing about the research is that it shows the experience of members of the House of Representatives (and political journalists). There are often differences between the experience and the actual use of social media. The use of Twitter by politicians is often one-way traffic. But should politicians now switch en masse to Facebook, as Minister Timmermans has done? For the visibility of the political game for citizens, that would indeed be a smart move. Simply because more citizens use Facebook.
But if the level of interaction and the use of the medium on Facebook follows the same patterns as the current use on Twitter, it will make little difference in closing the gap between citizens and politics. In that case, Facebook will only become a new platform where politicians display their political slogans. And that would be a shame.
Source images in article: Twitter and the House of Representatives/Weber Shandwick . Photo intro courtesy of Fotolia.