By Donovan Slack

 

WASHINGTON — Would you watch a video of Rep. Tom Petri driving a pedicab? How about Rep. Sean Duffy eating beef jerky? Or maybe Rep. Gwen Moore refuting assertions by Stephen Colbert that she got her congressional seat through affirmative action?

 

Thousands of people actually did. As more and more people are logging on to Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation are becoming more and more savvy at reaching them there.

 

To be sure, they have a ways to go. Their average Klout score — a measurement of social media influence — is 59 on a scale of 1 to 100. (President Barack Obama rates 99.) That’s about average for the U.S. House. The Senate average is 71, according to govsm.com, which tracks social media usage by Congress. (Sen. Ron Johnson scores 80 on Klout, while Sen. Tammy Baldwin rates 63.)

 

And Wisconsin’s representatives in Washington have vastly different approaches to new media. Duffy often posts impromptu selfie videos, while Rep. Reid Ribble sticks to rather bland political pronouncements. And then there’s Petri, who is unabashedly opposed to Twitter and prefers YouTube videos instead. With a Klout score of zero, he ties for dead last in social-media use out of all 535 lawmakers on Capitol Hill.

 

But what’s important, specialists say, is that they are engaging social media in the first place.

 

“You would truly be horse-and-buggy if you didn’t,” said Albert May, a professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University who has researched Congress and social media use.

 

Social media use has exploded in recent years with 72 percent of all Americans who use the Internet now also using social media, according to a recent Pew Research Center study. And for those between 18 and 29 years old, that figure jumps to 90 percent.

 

Typically, those users are more politically engaged than the general population, using sites like Facebook and Twitter to follow or like politicians as well as to sound off about issues they care about, according to Pew.

 

For politicians, social media can allow them to build a following outside their district, sometimes nationally, which can bring greater power and influence and fundraising might, May says.

 

“It’s kind of changing the media hierarchy of Congress because it allows members who are not in the leadership or who are not prominent to reach audiences and distinguish themselves on social media in a way that wouldn’t have happened 10, 20 years ago,” he said in an interview.

 

The more well-known pols, such as Rep. Paul Ryan, have an easier time gaining prominence on the social media web because they have a built-in following. In Ryan’s case, his vice presidential candidacy also brought with it the interest of a nation — and hundreds of thousands of Twitter followers, Facebook likes and YouTube views.

 

But a sharp message — or a humorous or odd one — can also bring social media fans. For example, the Colbert appearance became the most-viewed video on Moore’s YouTube channel. In it, the comedian skewers her on numerous fronts before taking her on a pretend ride on a Harley Davidson. (You have to see this one to believe it.)

 

Moore spokeswoman Staci Cox said the congresswoman enjoys the additional means to engage her constituents that social media provide. “She uses this technology to connect on a more interpersonal level with her constituents,” Cox said.

 

Duffy expressed similar sentiments. “It is the moments you can’t plan for that often get the most attention because people like seeing the more human side of politics,” he said.

 

On Twitter, Baldwin has hosted tweetups, and Rep. Ron Kind has tweeted a day in his life, including his watching a Miami Heat-San Antonio Spurs basketball game. Kind also takes in feedback and news from his social media sites.

 

“So even when I’m out in Washington, I am still in touch with what is going on back home,” he said.

 

Rep. Mark Pocan, who promised to post a video of himself performing a magic trick in exchange for Facebook likes, said social media use has become a requirement for elected officials who want to communicate with constituents.

 

“The days of waiting for a newsletter to tell you what's happening are over,” he said.

 

The most popular tweets from Wisconsin lawmakers have been about the economy. Ribble’s top tweet was about cutting and capping the federal budget: “It’s time Congress gets its spending habits under control and its budget balanced!” Johnson’s called out Obama for refusing to sign a bill that reduced student-loan interest rates because it also cut some funding for Obamacare: “Pure politics,” he tweeted.

 

Baldwin spokesman John Kraus said her office is committed to social media because they provide “important avenues to reach the people we represent.”

 

Petri, who doesn’t think Twitter’s 140-character limit is sufficient to express his thoughts, doesn’t seem to care about his low social-media ranking.

 

“Each member of Congress does things differently so each office determines what is best for them and the best way to use social media to connect with their constituents,” he said.

 

It’s clear in some cases that Wisconsin’s delegation is still learning how to use the various media. Kind recently did his first Google+ Hangout to answer constituent questions and had a few open mic moments and technical glitches.

 

“When do we start? Do I have to hit anything?” he began. “I see your lips moving, but I don’t hear anything.”

 

In the end, though, Kind gave the experience a thumbs up.

 

“It was a good first try,” he said. “I like the format. I like being able to engage people one on one.”

 

 

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