The Twitter Blackout: Do congressional rules influence the cyberworld?

IntroCommunication is understood to be a pillar of democracy. Therefore, governments around the world enact laws which make it easier for politicians to communicate with their constituents. However, some governments also restrict this ability during campaign seasons as a way of unclogging the media. In the United States, congressional election blackout dates are periods in which politicians are not allowed to engage in mass unsolicited mailing of political advertising. Because the prohibition only applies to unsolicited media, we theorize that we should see the transition from one type of communication to another.MethodsTo test this effect, we created a database containing all tweets by all Members of Congress from the last three Congresses.ResultsWe find that immediately during the blackout periods, members of Congress substantially increase the number of tweets they post.DiscussionWe conclude that Members of Congress are strategic in their ability to exchange communication outlets.