Politicians On Twitter: Tweets By Lawmakers Boastful Or Boring: Study

washingtonpost.com:

Researchers from the University of Maryland who plodded through more than 6,000 Twitter postings by members of Congress have found-- surprise! -- that politicians spend most of their time on Twitter promoting themselves.

Read the whole story: washingtonpost.com

Comments

[bigmacha]

...and anyone that spends any time reading any of their inanities should seriously consider therapy.

[princeza]

Twitter- only a bit more self-indulgent than Facebook status updates.

Are you listening, Cantor? And the rest of Congress that should be WORKING on improving this country's health care, economy, etc and NOT Twittering or whatever it is that people do on Twitter.

[JeanPaulSatire]

A 'study' was needed to determine this? Seriously?

[Cynth]

Boastful or boring? This might apply to most tweets in general.

[Badfickle]

most tweets are boastful or boring.

[Aikaterina]

I don't allow my students to use electronic devices in class, as it distracts them from learning, and defeats the purpose of their being in school. It's a waste of their own and my time teaching them academic skills they'll need.

Using twitter or text messaging in Congress means these lawmakers are not doing the job they're being paid to do. Just like when driving, it's distracting. It's no wonder so many in Congress don't have the time to read the proposed health care reform legislation, and defer their intelligence and knowledge to what FOX feeds them.

Are you listening Cantor?

[Cynth]

I suspect that even if the tweeting lawmakers weren't tweeting or texting, they wouldn't be listening. They're just making good use of their time, as they see it. Along with established rules of decorum, there should be House and Senate rules against these activities and I would love to see a site devoted to exposing lawmakers who tweet/text during a session (or driving).

[rf dude]

And people get paid to do such "work"...
--

[Fandarrow]

Why waste time researching the obvious?

[guyfrombrooklyn]

Can LAME and ADOLESCENT be added to the list of adjectives?

[Fandarrow]

My birds bigger than yours. hehehehe

[Rog49Thomas]

And this would differ precisely how from their spoken discourse?

[Periwinkle]

They might be boastful and they might be boring, but there is another feature that I find absolutely terrifying. For the most part they sound like a bunch of sixth graders. Nearly every time I read one of them - from either party, by the way - I become more and more aware of the reason nothing meaningful gets done in Washington. Our elected officials are not the sharpest tacks in the box - they just think they are.

[Dana Nicole]

They can't fix a broken healthcare system, they can't figure out a winning strategy in Afghanistan that won't cost the country billions, but they can figure out Twitter. Smh...

[deepfreezevideo]

Only in America does one have to commission "studies" to figure out what even the most uneducated and ignorant American knows almsot from birth.
Let me guess, stimulus funds were used for this study, right?
Anyone else care to "blow the lid off" boring politicians?

[foxbat]

Most politicians using Twitter are like the 5-year old who finds the vibrator in their parents' nightstand. They think they've found a cool toy, playing with it like it's a rocket, but have no idea how the heck to use it.

[cef911f1]

LOL, That's one funny visual. Voice of experience?

[foxbat]

I had forgotten to include the video link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VtzSDI8u2o

When you watch the video, picture Eric Cantor. It either ends up funnier or, just because of Cantor himself, creepy. Enjoy!

[balancedsolution]

they should ban twittering and blackberries from inside congress.

how can you pay attention to what's going on if you are on your blackberry, mr. eric cantor?