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Study: Social Media a Double-Edged Sword for Female Politicians

Keida Kostreci

   WASHINGTON - On Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's
   Facebook page, you can find videos ranging from an announcement in Des
   Moines, Iowa, that her campaign has reached $2 million in donations '¦

   '¦ to one with the Massachusetts senator looking into the camera,
   explaining her plan to help U.S. teachers.

   It's on Twitter that Senator Marsha Blackburn, Republican from
   Tennessee and chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Tech Task Force,
   calls on followers to safeguard their personal data.

     Looking to influence Congress?
     A quick lesson on public relations 101 brought to you by [1]@Google.
     [2]pic.twitter.com/OEaVlV44hx
     -- Sen. Marsha Blackburn (@MarshaBlackburn) [3]October 21, 2019

   A [4]recently published study by a Washington think tank indicates that
   women in public office -- or those seeking it, whether in the United
   States or abroad -- are increasingly bypassing traditional media,
   relying instead on social media to bolster their image and broadcast
   their message in a more nuanced and unfiltered way.

   According to Wilson Center Global Fellow Lucina Di Meco, who authored
   the study for the organization's Global Women's Leadership Initiative,
   social media enables female leaders to connect directly with
   constituents and allows them to be "authentic, to really go beyond very
   scripted images that we had seen in the past, to really try and show a
   little bit more of themselves."

   Based on 88 interviews with female leaders from 33 countries, Di Meco's
   research indicates that, despite a highly toxic media environment,
   female candidates often have been able to use both Twitter and Facebook
   to support their political ambitions by creating a robust network of
   online support.

   Equalizing force

   Crystal Patterson, Facebook's Global Civics Partnership manager, said
   messaging via social platforms is a more surefire way to shape one's
   own message.

References

   1. https://twitter.com/Google?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   2. https://t.co/OEaVlV44hx
   3. https://twitter.com/MarshaBlackburn/status/1186383604458373120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
   4. https://www.she-persisted.org/

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