Missouri politicos highlighted for social media use

MediaShift, a PBS blog curated by Mark Glaser, highlighted St. Louis-area reporters and politicians in a recent post about how politicians are using social media to interact with their constituents without the filter of the press.

MediaShift writer Steven Davy wrote:

“[St. Louis Mayor Francis] Slay says new media technologies made it possible to publish his policy positions and get his message out. “It does help me communicate better…it really engages my constituents and people that have a stake in the city,” Slay said.

The Internet has leveled the playing field for political communication. Now, thanks in large part to social media, a growing number of people are going directly to the political source to get the latest information.”

Another recent post on Mashable, a blog about emerging media trends, focused on how social media use is part of a broader communication strategy.

Mashable’s Josh Sternberg writes:

“Julie Blitzer, a strategist at Advomatic, a web technology firm, said, “These tools (social media) are just one more mechanism to direct activists to traditional elected official contact methods: writing letters and calling.””

Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill is among the most prolific of Senate Twitter users. Even in the 2010 Senate race between Robin Carnahan and Roy Blunt, social networking seems to be the way to go.

Some analysts are concerned that the extensive use of the Internet in the campaign process increases the level of partisan bickering and the opportunity for catty attacks, while others thinks allowing politicians to speak “unfiltered” adds value.

What do you think? How many of your legislators do you follow on Twitter? Do you find their emergence in the world of social media useful? Are you more likely to read traditional news coverage, or do you want something different?

KBIA wants to know. Comment below to tell us what you think, or email me your responses.