News Consumption Is The Least Important Reason For Political Operatives To Use Social Media

I’m unusual in the world of politics in that I’ve long encouraged my staff to have Twitter – or other social media accounts – and to actively use them. As I encourage people to move away from the platform, I’m trying to take stock of the real benefits I got from it, and think about how to get those benefits elsewhere.

A list of reasons why I used Twitter as a political operative

Influencing the narrative

It used to be that, if you wanted to contest the premise of a news story, you had to ask a communications professional to contact the reporter. Now everybody argues with reporters all day as a hobby. For a pro, yelling at a reporter is usually counterproductive. But making your point of view available at all times is incredibly valuable. Being part of the conversation is important. And when reporters know your perspective, they can’t magically un-know it when they’re writing their story. It’ll have an influence regardless of whether or not they agree.

Even if the reporters hate what you’re saying, those folks also love knowing that their work isn’t going into the void. They’d prefer annoying feedback to silence. So, even if Twitter dries up next week, they’re going to go somewhere where they can get that fix. If you’re in the earned media business, you need to follow them to where they’re going.

Professional awareness

I like riding bikes with my friends, hanging out at home, building stuff, and writing code. I do not relish the opportunity to go to political happy hours after a long day of thinking about nothing but politics at the office. This is just how I am, but it’s still not ideal for someone in my line of work.

I realize how annoying this is, but being on social media is a great way to get people in the industry to know who you are. I’m coming dangerously close to using the term Personal Branding. But if you’re someone who wants to get new, better jobs in the future, it’s helpful if people already know who you are.

Becoming a better writer

I think Twitter was better when it required 140 characters. It meant ruthless editing, and then the platform gave you instant feedback.

140 characters is the right length to make a single point. If you want to make an argument, you just string those points together.

There are a lot of problems with social media writing – sensationalism, trolling, and engagement farming are incentivized. But if you can avoid those temptations, social media writing represents the gamification of clear, tight, writing.

I think it’s important for everyone to find a way to write regularly. Twitter made it easy, but find something that works with your brain. Don’t yell at yourself for not being able to sit down and compose a 6000-word essay. If you’re good at writing Reddit comments, then write more Reddit comments!