A reporter on National Public Radio asked this morning why there seemed to be a lot more social media use on the House side of Congress than on the Senate side.
Here's a theory:
- Average age in the Senate (as of the 110th Congress): 62. Average age in the House: 57. Those 5 years may make a lot of difference in tech use. In the Senate, the youngest member is 42, making her an older member of Gen X, and a digital immigrant. The House, meanwhile, has a 27-year-old, a clear digital native.
- Social networking is about drawing on the ideas and strength of others; social media are more naturally tools of the powerless than the powerful. In the Washington scheme of things, senators are pretty powerful, while your run-of-the-mill representative needs all the help he can get.
Image courtesy kimberlyfaye (Flickr)
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