Representative Synthesis Essay

In their articles, Maltzman and Sigelman, as well as Hill and Hurley, explored the connection between a representative speech giving in Washington as a means of representing their constituency. The advent and permeation of mass media and connectivity to political events into American society raises the question of whether or not representatives can use their media presence to represent their constituency? Social media and news access provide representatives with an outlet to express empathy, demographic identification, and policy platform. Has the ability of a representative to broadcast their symbolic representation and policy through mass media significantly change the representational strategies of modern representatives from the strategies of their predecessors? The opportunity to connect with a constituency through mass media could provide a representative with the privilege of representing from Washington without the need to connect at home to the same degree as their predecessors.

Finding an answer to the question of whether or not mass media

First, do representatives who have a greater social media presence spend less time overall in their districts than those who have a smaller or no social media footprint. Second, do the amount of news articles or television news reports reduces the amount of time a representative spends in their district. Third, do representatives who received smaller victory margins in their election spend allocate more resources to expanding their presence in the media. The ways in which a representative could expand their media presence may include increases in social media activity, increases to the promotion of their speeches and casework through social media, and giving interviews with media