It’s been described as a necessary evil, but everyone who wants attention uses social media.
Governor Scott Walker has been called the “Twitter-in-Chief.” President Obama signs his tweets: BO.
UW Madison assistant professor Michael Wagner is an expert on Twitter and Facebook. He explained, “Social media is immediate and usually forever.”
Comments don’t necessarily have to be new; Wagner said old messages can come back to haunt a person.
Veteran GOP strategist Liz Mair stepped down from her new role on Scott Walker’s digital social media team Tuesday, just one day after being hired to that post, because of previous controversial tweets.
Several people have gotten burned from their public messages. Former New York Congressman Anthony Weiner was forced to resign in 2011 following a scandal involving sexting.
“Another general problem is just getting into arguments with people,” Wagner said, “and being overly emotional in some of the language that might be used.”
Most political candidates or elected officials use social media to engage the public. Several benefits include the immediacy of the message and an ability to bypass traditional media. A comment takes mere seconds to create and distribute, but its effect — negative or positive — can last forever.
