Social networking in government: an exploration of the use of the Twitter micro-blogging service by U. S. state governors

Abstract

In the last decade, an increasing number of Americans use the web to access information and services. Government agencies have responded to their citizens' need by providing a substantial array of online services through websites to reach a wider spectrum of the population. However, in recent years, focus on the web has shifted from online services to information exchange and participation. Web 2.0 services like blogging, micro-blogging, social networking have become channels of information sharing and communication between friends, followers, and stakeholders. Though there have been studies on the use of such services by political candidates, there have been few studies focused on elected representatives in state and federal agencies. This study explores how sitting governors are using the Twitter micro-blogging service. We obtained two levels of friends and followers of ten state governor's Twitter accounts to study their interactions with respect to reciprocity and spatial characteristics of their networks. Our results show that the governors have significantly more Twitter followers than friends. In addition, most governors are followed by citizens in their own states (primarily from urban areas). It also appears that the network characteristics are very different from those in other social networks.