My book manuscript is called Posting for their Audiences: Congressional Campaigns on Social Media.

Summary:

I argue that as we study elite communication we must both carefully theorize about and empirically assess who the intended and actual audiences are, with a focus on the case of congressional campaigns and how they use Twitter/X. I show that contrary to the conventional wisdom in the literature (evaluated through a systematic literature review of campaign communication across mediums), which assumes that campaigns tweet to reach their constituents, that tweets are instead used as signals to multiple elite audiences. Through their use of Twitter, campaigns are able to build relationships with each other and interest groups, and are able to leverage their tweets to fundraise beyond their district using the national media as a pathway to expand their message. The difference that I find between the assumption in the literature and reality is important practically and for our understanding of how elites publicly communicate. If the conventional wisdom in the literature is incorrect, or even incomplete, as I argue it is for the use of Twitter by congressional campaigns, then our description and examination of what campaigns are doing and why will likewise be incorrect or incomplete. To be more specific, my main claim is that we as scholars should not assume that every piece of public communication by a congressional campaign is meant for voters, or is able to reach them-- at least not before we rigorously test that assumption. This is necessary (1) for accuracy and clarity in describing and understanding elite behavior and (2) to be able to assess the effectiveness of their public messages. Otherwise, we will not assess the correct outcomes.