Digital America project looks at how state legislators use social media

Yesterday, my colleagues at DCI Group released an interactive map of the United States that details state government social media participation. This resource displays research that indicates at least 46 states have legislators actively using Twitter and more than one-third of these legislators are utilizing Facebook, putting access to state leaders at your fingertips.

The Digital America map is a compilation of data that includes links to state leaders and a state-by-state ranking of each state’s Twitter and Facebook participation rates for the entire state population. These findings are based on the official 2010 census numbers and independent research.

Understanding geographical differences in social media use will allow public affairs and communications professionals to design campaigns that will be effective, highly targeted, and cost-efficient. For instance, data reveals that the state of Washington is the number one ranking state in Facebook participation; this indicates that a campaign in the state of Washington would benefit from employing digital tactics as a part of its strategy. On the contrary, New Mexico has the lowest Facebook participation in the nation. Knowing this might encourage greater use of traditional modes of communication to reach the target audience.

For example,

• 48 governors have a personalized Twitter presence and every governor has a personalized Facebook presence.
• At least 10% of state legislators have a personalized Twitter presence.
• The top five Twittering state legislatures are Florida, Missouri, Pennsylvania, California, and Illinois.
• Every state has a legislator using Facebook – more than 2,500 state lawmakers.
• The top five Facebook state legislatures, by total numbers, are: New York, Minnesota, Michigan, Texas, and North Carolina.

For more information, check out the Digital America map at http://www.dcigroupdigital.com/digital-america/.