Re-Tweeting to Power: Testing the Paradigm of Online Influence in Elections

• In Event: Social Media and American Politics

Abstract

Using data from the last two election cycles, this paper examines the theory and findings of the book Tweeting To Power, to see whether those findings hold up in more recent elections. Specifically, beginning with a strong theoretical foundation grounded in political, communications, and psychology literature, we consider whether lowering the cost of both supplying the information and obtaining it continues to be a significant predictor of online political networking behaviors and the campaign process. With an approach grounded in both social science theory and empirical data, we test whether the Tweeting to Power paradigm for political communication continues to explain political behavior for both politicians and voters.

Authors

• Kevin Wagner, Florida Atlantic University

• Jason Gainous, University of Louisville