Politics and the Twitter Revolution
How Tweets Influence the Relationship between Political Leaders and the Public- Authors:
- |
- Publisher:
- 2011
Summary
Politics and the Twitter Revolution: How Tweets Influence the Relationship between Political Leaders and the Public, by John H. Parmelee and Shannon L. Bichard, is the first comprehensive examination of how Twitter is used politically. Surveys and in-depth interviews with political Twitter users answer several important questions, including: Who follows the political leaders on Twitter, and why? How persuasive are political tweets? Is political Twitter use good for democracy?
These and other questions are answered from theoretical perspectives, such as uses and gratifications, word-of-mouth communication, selective exposure, innovation characteristics, and the continuity-discontinuity framework. In addition, content analysis and frame analysis illustrate how political leaders' tweets frame their policies and personalities.
The findings in Politics and the Twitter Revolution show Twitter to be surprisingly influential on political discourse. Twitter has caused major changes in how people engage politically. Followers regularly take actions that are requested in leaders' tweets, and, in many cases, leaders' tweets shape followers' political views more than friends and family. Other findings raise concerns. For some, Twitter use contributes to political polarization, and there is frequently a disconnect between what followers expect from leaders on Twitter and what those leaders are giving them.
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Bibliographic data
- Copyright year
- 2011
- ISBN-Print
- 978-0-7391-6500-3
- ISBN-Online
- 978-0-7391-6502-7
- Publisher
- Lexington, Lanham
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 248
- Product type
- Book Titles
Table of contents
- Contents No access
- Acknowledgments No access
- Chapter 1 Introduction: The Importance of Twitter in Politics No access Pages 1 - 34
- Chapter 2 Why People Use Twitter for Politics: The Uses and Gratifications of Following Political Leaders’ Tweets No access Pages 35 - 68
- Chapter 3 The Impact of Political Tweets When Used as Word-of-Mouth Communication No access Pages 69 - 108
- Chapter 4 Is Following Political Leaders Good for Democracy? Examining Political Twitter Use, Selective Exposure,and Selective Avoidance No access Pages 109 - 140
- Chapter 5 In Their Own Words: Exploring the Role and Value of Political Twitter Use in Followers’ Lives No access Pages 141 - 166
- Chapter 6 Tweets on the Campaign Trail: An Analysis of Frames Used in 2010 Campaign Tweets No access Pages 167 - 204
- Chapter 7 Conclusion: How Twitter Influences the Relationship between Political Leaders and the Public No access Pages 205 - 224
- Bibliography No access Pages 225 - 242
- Index No access Pages 243 - 246
- About the Authors No access Pages 247 - 248





