Running Head: POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA

Political Communication Across Traditional and New Media: A Content Analysis of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and his Communications

Aaron Caffarel, Andrea Chavez and Paromita Saha

Louisiana State University Manship School of Mass Communication MC 7001

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA Abstract The purpose of this study is to ascertain how Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal used his

communications channels over a year to position himself as a prominent voice of the Republican Party and as one of the countrys leading Governors. A content analysis was conducted from the start of this second term from December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2012. This content analysis focused on his Tweets, Facebook posts and press releases in order to answer various research questions involving the differentiation in utilization across these media. Additionally, the analysis seeks to discover the success of certain social media messages over others in the amount of feedback received. The analysis compares traditional media to new media and Facebook posts to Twitter Tweets. Significant differences were found among almost all categories, including the communications purpose, strategy, issue and constituency. It is evident that the findings of this study suggest that the type of media directly affects the purpose, strategy, issue and constituency of the message.

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA Introduction This study examines how politician and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal uses social media and traditional methods of communication to conduct his daily business as governor and

as a leading voice for the Republican Party. Bobby Jindal was first elected governor of Louisiana in 2008 and re-elected in 2011 for a second term. Since his inception as Governor in 2008, the media have speculated about his prospects as the presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 2012 and 2016. He also attracted further speculation about his prospective candidacy as Mitt Romneys running mate during the 2012 election, which went to Paul Ryan. However, since he took office as governor in 2008, Bobby Jindal has become a prominent voice in the Republican Party. For example, the party selected Jindal to deliver the Republican response to the Presidents first State of the Union address in 2009. After Romneys defeat in 2012, Jindal hit the headlines following his public criticisms of Romneys presidential campaign, which included a call to the Republican Party to stop being seen as the stupid party. In 2012, he secured the prominent position of Chairman of the Republican Governors Association. As governor of Louisiana, Jindal has pushed for significant education and tax reform in Louisiana. He also oversaw the major crises that have hit the state in the past four years including the Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill and two major hurricanes, Gustav (2008) and Isaac (2012). The Republican election defeat in 2008 and 2012 suggested that they were a party out of touch that did not adequately represent the diversity of the American population. Subsequently, Bobby Jindal draws considerable media attention because he is of Indian origin and a staunch Conservative. Similarly, his contemporaries such as Florida Senator Marco Rubio also draw media attention as the new leading voices of the Republican Party. With an African American Democrat President, the pressure increases as to whether the Republican Party can produce a

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA conservative candidate who reflects the diversity of todays America. This study is pertinent because it explores how a politician like Bobby Jindal uses this opportune moment to increase his prominence on national and local levels through his use of social media and traditional

media. The purpose of this study is to establish how he uses these distinct communication media to establish himself as a leading voice of the Republican Party while conducting the daily job of Governor of Louisiana. Literature Review Over the past decade, society has embraced social media as a very important means of communication. It is no surprise that political leaders have started to utilize this tool as well. Not only does it reach a vast amount of people, it is also extremely inexpensive to use. However, there is debate on whether or not this newer communications tool will positively or negatively affect society. Some experts feel that the benefits of social media do not compensate for the fact that social media is a politically disruptive communication tool (Hong & Nadler, 2012). Although some studies have found that social media have produced minimal effects in the amount of attention political leaders receive online, politicians still have to use every media outlet that is available to them in order to reach their desired public (Hong & Nadler, 2012). The 2008 Presidential election, featuring Barack Obama versus John McCain, illustrates one of the most successful uses of social media as a communications tool, inadvertently setting precedence for how to utilize social media. Before the 2008 elections, most stories about support groups for political leaders were featured on national news (Woolley, Limperos, & Oliver, 2010). Then during the 2008 election, Facebook groups emerged ubiquitously to support presidential candidates (Woolley et al., 2010). During the 2008 election, more than 55% of adults sought out information online, which proves that political engagement is still important to those

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with access to online materials. (Sweetser, Lariscy, Tinkham, & Himelboim, 2012). According to Peterson (2012), Obamas campaign utilized new media in fundraising and messaging in a way that had never been done before. He also states Obamas use of social media deviated from the normal campaigning procedures of the Republicans (Peterson, 2012). The 2008 election changed social media into a politically persuasive rhetorical medium (Johnson, 2012). Furthermore, even though there has been a reported decline in political engagement, the number of online participants disputes these findings (Sweetser et al., 2010). Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal has adopted social media as a way of connecting to his constituents. Social media provides potential for Jindal and politicians to connect with voters on a national level. Hence, our first research questions addresses whether Jindals communication efforts are focused more on national or state issues throughout his use of Twitter, Facebook, and press releases. RQ 1 Is Governor Jindal more focused on state or national issues across communications using Twitter, Facebook and press releases? Aside from the inexpensive nature of social media, it is also a way for politicians to bypass media gatekeepers. According to Hong and Nadler (2012), using Facebook and Twitter allow politicians to communicate with people in an environment that is not as structured and mediated such as regular television. Twitter has quickly evolved into the new sound bite, which allows politicians to have more control over the message of their campaigns (Johnson, 2012). This allows the candidate to have delivered a message to the public without it being taken out of context (Johnson, 2012). Candidate salience is also a positive effect of newer media for political leaders. According to Hong & Nadler (2012), the more a candidate uses social media, the more salient he will be. The salience of a candidate may suggest that the politicians use of social media does have an impact on public opinion (Hong & Nadler, 2012).

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA Political leaders have embraced social media and even members of congress have adopted new approaches to their communications techniques (Peterson, 2012). In 2012, Mitt Romney used Twitter to maintain control over sound bites that he wanted to relay to the public (Johnson, 2012). People were able to catch glimpses of Romney being a family man because he acknowledged his wife in his tweets (Johnson, 2012). Prior to the universal acceptance of social

media, Al Gore utilized the Internet in his presidential bid 2000 (Hong & Nadler, 2012). Howard Dean paved the way for fundraising on the Internet in 2004 (Johnson & Perlmutter, 2010). The Internet, especially social media, is now a way for politicians to engage their constituents. Hong & Nadler (2012) state Nancy Pelosi opted to use Twitter to announce her intention to run for House Minority leader, rather than more traditional news mediums. They also state that every significant candidate in 2012 included social media in their campaign strategy. Therefore, this study aims to determine whether Jindal receives more feedback on Twitter and Facebook over national issues or state issues. R2 Does Bobby Jindal generate more feedback when disseminating messages on state or national issues across Tweets and Facebook posts? The manner in which politicians communicate with their constituents has changed because of these new media. The manner in which they use the more traditional news mediums has changed as well. Candidates use social media to create news for national traditional media, whether inadvertently or on purpose. Sound bites can now be taken from tweets rather than the source themselves. Furthermore, social media allows constituents to go straight to the source. Grazyna Piechota (2011) states that traditional media introduces candidates to a large audience for viewing, whereas social media is an interactive medium that boosts a candidates position. While traditional media allow politicians to speak to their constituents they are limited. However, it does not allow for two-way communication, whereas, social media does. Social

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA media does not have to follow the same regulations as television, such as time and gatekeepers. Instead candidates are able to influence public opinion directly and constituents can boost their candidates by giving them support, therefore, influencing public opinion (Piechota, 2011). As a result, the third question of this study aims to explore how Bobby Jindal uses traditional media and social media and if there any significant differences. RQ 3 How do his communication efforts differ between traditional media and social media? Two-way communication is an important aspect of social media. According to Sweetser & Lariscy (2008), politicians have to be willing to put in the time to communicate with their

constituents. If they ignore the social norms of Facebook it could result in hurting their campaign (Sweetser & Lariscy, 2008). When candidates use social media correctly, two-way communication can personalize constituents relationship with politicians and most people feel close to the politicians as if they know them personally (Sweetser & Lariscy, 2008). This study also found that the majority of people who write on candidates walls on Facebook feel as if they have a close relationship with the candidate (Sweetser & Lariscy, 2008). Americans can actively support politicians by re-tweeting or sharing Facebook posts (Johnson, 2012). Interactive communication has a positive effect on peoples feelings of having the opportunity to come into contact with politics (Kruikemeier, van Noort, Vliegenthart, & de Vreese, 2013). Both Facebook and Twitter have different avenues of connecting with people. Therefore, the last question this study will examine is how Jindals communication efforts differ between Facebook and Twitter. RQ 4 How do his communication efforts differ between Facebook and Twitter?

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA Method Sampling In order to analyze Governor Bobby Jindals communications to the public, researchers gathered both traditional and new media communications. Press releases constitute traditional

media while Twitter Tweets and Facebook posts from Governor Jindals official pages constitute new media. A press release, a Tweet, and a Facebook post all serve as units of analysis for this study. These units were gathered utilizing systematic random sampling, in which every sixth unit was chosen between December 1, 2011 and November 30, 2012. This particular year was chosen in order to encompass the beginning of the Governors second term and the 2012 presidential election. Out of 439 tweets from @BobbyJindal, the authors selected 74. Out of 226 Facebook posts from Bobby Jindals official Facebook page, the authors selected 38. Out of 410 press releases from the official Governors website, the authors selected 68. Each unit was assigned an identification number based on the coder. Coding Categories For all social media units, coders gathered the following information: the date; the number of retweets and favorites for Tweets; the number of comments, likes and shares for Facebook posts; the presence of a link; the type of link if one existed; the presence of a hashtag for the Tweets; the presence of a photo attached and the presence of a video attached. For all press releases, coders gathered the date the Governors office issued the release. Coders subsequently analyzed each unit on constituency, the purpose of the communication, the strategy of the communication, and the issue involved in the communication. Constituency is divided into state and national issues. State issues are defined as all issues pertaining solely to the state of Louisiana. National issues include those from states

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA other than Louisiana as well as those pertaining to the entire nation. The purpose analysis includes the following categories: to inform voters on a particular issue, to express personal feelings or thoughts, to encourage donations to campaigns, to endorse and/or encourage support for another campaign, to attack political opponents and government, to promote his events and

speeches, to promote personal and/or state accomplishments, to defend policy positions, to thank supporters/followers and other. For the strategy analysis, the coders originally utilized fourteen categories. Upon reviewing the data, however, the authors combined various categories. Thus, the strategy analysis includes the following categories: to attack an opponents record or personal qualities, the politician as a voice for the people, use experts to support a position/politician as the expert authority, to invite participation from the audience and followers, to emphasize hope for the future, to use statistics to support a position, family values, a call for change, the politician serving as a philosophical center of the political party, to identify with others experience, to emphasize political accomplishments and other. The issue analysis includes the following categories: war and peace/national security/foreign policy, the economy, energy and the environment, health care, education, taxes, immigration, infrastructure, natural disasters and emergency preparedness, and political appointments. Independent Variable: Media This study analyzes the differences in utilization of traditional and new media to communicate a message by Governor Bobby Jindal. Prior research suggests that politicians use different media for different purposes in their communication to the public at large. Social media messages, for example, tend to highlight more political messages in defending policy positions or expressing thoughts to supporters. Press releases, on the other hand, tend to highlight positive accomplishments or new information as these messages are purposed for the news media to pick

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA up and disseminate to the public. Politicians also utilize social media to increase their salience

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among followers and supporters. These messages are meant to establish a threshold in the lives of those in the community for future political success. For the purposes of this study, salience is measured on social media posts by the number of retweets and favorites on Twitter and by the number of likes, shares, and comments on Facebook posts. This independent variable features the three levels of press releases, Tweets and Facebook posts. Dependent Variables: Constituency, Purpose, Strategy and Issue This study tests the effects of the utilization of different media on constituency, message purpose, message strategy and the issue involved. As press releases are disseminated from the official Louisiana Governors page to state news media, it is likely that these messages will overwhelmingly feature Louisiana issues as opposed to national issues. Social media communications are likely to feature a mixture of both Louisiana and national issues as the followers of these pages originate from all corners of the nation. Due to the overall political dialogues of the time period selected, it is anticipated that different issues will be utilized in both Louisiana and national communications. After a written codebook was developed for each media, coders conducted a pre-test in order to determine intercoder reliability. The coders double-coded a sub-sample of press releases (n = 10), a sub-sample of tweets (n = 10), and a sub-sample of Facebook posts (n = 10). Researchers subsequently utilized Holstis method of reliability to discover an overall agreement of .96, an acceptable level. Results RQ 1: For each medium, is Governor Jindal focused more on state or national issues?

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA A descriptive analysis of all units of analysis across all media revealed that 80% of the communication focused on state issues while 20% focused on national issues. Tweets feature state issues 74.3% of the time and national issues 25.7% of the time.

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65.8% of Facebook posts pertain to state issues while 34.2% pertain to national issues.

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Upon combining Tweets and Facebook posts to encompass new media, 71.4% contained state relevance with the other 28.6% of national importance.

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For press releases, or traditional media, 97.1% discussed state issues and 2.9% featured messages of national relevance.

A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of state and national communications between new media and traditional media. A significant interaction was found (2(1) = 18.142, p < .001). Social media communications are more likely to include national issues than traditional media. Upon dividing the year into two halves, however, the results differed. The first half encompassed December 1, 2011 through May 31, 2012 while the second half included communications from June 1, 2012 through November 30, 2012. In new media, the first half of

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the year featured significantly more state related communications while the latter half of the year showed a significant increase in nationally based communication. 89.5% of the Tweets were state related while only 10.5% contained national issues. In Facebook posts, 80.8% were based on state issues while 19.2% featured a national focus. In the second half of the year, 58.3% of Tweets have state issues compared to 41.7% national issues. Facebook posts during the same time period focused on national issues 66.7% of the time and state issues 33.3% of the time. For press releases, there is virtually no change in the distribution of state and national issues. RQ 2: Does Bobby Jindal generate more feedback on state or national issues? The authors utilized independent-samples t tests in order to compare the means of feedback responses. Feedback responses include the amount of retweets and favorites for Tweets and the amount of likes, comments and shares of Facebook posts. Upon running independent-samples t tests to compare the mean feedback responses of all feedback categories, a significant difference between the means of state and national communications was found for all feedback categories. For example, the mean of state retweets (m = 20.8182, sd = 22.67246) was significantly lower than the mean of national retweets (m = 180.9474, sd = 244.43119) (t(72) = -4.861, p < .001). Additionally, the mean of state likes (m = 736.1600, sd = 1266.13963) is significantly lower than national likes (m = 2049.8462, sd = 3618.77675) (t(36) = -1.648, p < .05). Researchers also used one-way ANOVA tests to compare the means of feedback responses among the various purposes and strategies of communications. In computing a oneway ANOVA for the various purposes, a significant difference was found among the purposes for all feedback categories with the exception of shares. For example, the analysis revealed that the Attack opponents/government purpose received the highest degree of retweets (m =

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213.9333, sd = 265.22321) (F(7,66) = 4.011, p < .01). Tukeys HSD was used to determine the nature of the differences between the purposes. This analysis revealed that the attack opponents and government Tweets received significantly more retweets (m = 213.9333, sd = 265.22321) than most other purposes, including those that informed voters (m = 25.6667, sd = 22.16711) and those that promoted events and speeches (m = 18.6364, sd = 39.19508). Additionally, the analysis revealed that the Endorse/support another campaign purpose received the highest degree of likes on Facebook (m = 9369.5000, sd = 5192.28509) (F(6,31) = 15.671, p < .001). Tukeys HSD was used to determine the nature of the differences between the purposes. This analysis revealed that the posts that served to endorse other candidates received significantly more likes (m = 9369.5000, sd = 5192.28509) than all other categories, including personal thoughts and feelings (m =2064.5714, sd =1942.64509) and promote speeches and events (m =162.6667, sd = 52.05126). In computing a one-way ANOVA for the various strategies, a significant difference was found among the strategies for all feedback categories with the exception of Facebook shares. For example, the analysis revealed that the Attack candidates strategy received the highest degree of retweets (m = 268.1111, sd = 310.16102) (F(6,67) = 5.947, p < .001). Tukeys HSD was used to determine the nature of the differences between the strategies. This analysis revealed that the posts that attacked candidates received significantly more retweets than those that used experts (m = 235.11111, sd = 48.33876) and those that emphasized hope for the future (m = 256.27778, sd = 52.67595). Additionally, the analysis revealed that the Politician as the philosophical center of party posts received the highest level of likes (m = 4360.0000, sd = 4966.72266) (F(6,31) = 2.951, p < .05). Tukeys HSD was used to determine the nature of the differences between the strategies. The politician as the philosophical center of party strategy

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA received significantly more likes than those that emphasized political accomplishments (m = 244.8574, sd = 183.85268) and those that attacked other politicians (m = 553.5714, sd = 454.55137).

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RQ 3: How do Bobby Jindals communication efforts differ between traditional media and social media? A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of strategies between social media and traditional media. A significant interaction was found (2(6) = 87.392, p < .001). The type of media directly affects the strategy of the message. For example, the vast majority of traditional media communications (83.8%) falls under the Emphasize political accomplishments category. For social media communications, the strategies are significantly more varied. 20.3% feature the governor as an expert authority while 14.3% feature attacks on political opponents. A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of purposes between social media and traditional media. A significant interaction was found (2(7) = 82.295, p < .005). The type of media directly affects the purpose of the message. For example, the vast majority of traditional media communications (83.8%) serve to promote personal and state accomplishments. In social media communications, 19.6% attack political opponents and government, 16.1% promote personal and state accomplishments, and the two categories of informing voters and espousing personal thoughts and feelings feature 14.3% each. A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of issues between social media and traditional media. A significant interaction was found (2(9) = 75.752, p < .001). The type of media directly affects the issue of the message. For example, a plurality of traditional communications announced new political candidates at 48.5%. 16.2% focused on the economy and 7.4% focused on education issues. In social media, a plurality of messages (32.1%)

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fell into the Education category. 31.2% fell into the Other category. These messages featured either support for various Louisiana sports teams or messages that were general in nature and did not focus on one particular issue. Natural disasters encompassed 15.2% of all social media communications. RQ 4: How do Bobby Jindals communication efforts differ between Twitter and Facebook? A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of purposes between Twitter and Facebook. A significant interaction was found (2(6) = 13.788, p < .05). The type of social media directly affects the purpose of the message. For example, Tweets feature significantly more messages that serve to inform voters (20.5%) than Facebook posts (0.0%). Additionally, 27% of Facebook posts promote state and personal accomplishments while only 11% of Tweets do the same. A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of strategies between Twitter and Facebook. No significant interaction was found, meaning that there is no significant difference between Twitter and Facebook in the utilization of various strategies. A chi-square test of independence was calculated comparing the frequency of issues between Twitter and Facebook. A significant interaction was found (2(9) = 22.712, p < .05). The type of social media directly affects the issue of the message. For example, in order to disseminate information concerning natural disasters, the Governor utilized Twitter (21.6%) significantly more than Facebook (2.6%). 50% of Facebook posts fell into the Other category while 21.6% of Tweets fell into the same category.

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA Discussion RQ 1: For each medium, is Governor Jindal focused more on state or national issues? The first question of the study asked if Bobby Jindal was more focused on state or

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national issues through his use of Facebook, Twitter and press releases. The findings reveal that 80% of Jindals overall communication is focused on state issues and 2% on national issues. Furthermore, 97% of his traditional communications in the form of press releases are devoted to state issues. This suggests that his press releases are a primary medium for communicating the day-to-day accomplishments of his daily business as Governor of Louisiana to the local media. However, his focus on national issues is slighter higher on Facebook (34%) and Twitter (26%) than state. This suggests that social media is his preferred form of communication for reaching a national audience because this affords him the flexibility to produce a wide range of views. Overall, his emphasis on state issues remains high across all mediums, which reflects his primary focus as Governor of Louisiana.

We split the year into two halves, which revealed an interesting pattern about his communications during that time period. During the first half of the year from December 1, 201l to May 31, 2012, Bobby Jindal used social media and traditional media primarily for state communications. For example, 89.5 % of this tweets focused on state issues compared to only 10.5%. Meanwhile, 80.8% of his Facebook were based on state issues with 19.2% focused on national. This suggests that at the start of his second term, immediately after his re-election, Bobby Jindal was focused on communication to his constituents and state media. However, in the second half of the year, this radically changed with an increased emphasis on national issues. For example, 42% of Tweets were on national issues compared only 10.5 % in first half of the year. Similarly, the number of Facebook posts rose by from the first half of the year to the

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA second half of the year. This reflects Bobby Jindals focus on the Republican presidential campaign and main presidential election in the run up to November 2012. During this time, he campaigned across the country for presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Furthermore, during August 2012, Hurricane Isaac hit the Louisiana coast on the anniversary of Katrina, which

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suggests that his focus on national issues could have been higher. However, throughout the year, his use of traditional media consistently focused more on state issues than national issues. RQ 2: Does Bobby Jindal generate more feedback on state or national issues? RQ 2 asks if Bobby Jindal generated more feedback on state or national issues. The findings reveal that Bobby Jindal received more retweets on national issues than state issues, in particular when he attacks his political opponents such as the Obama administration. 2012 was election year, which probably explains this finding. On Facebook, he received the highest amount of likes when he endorsed a political candidate such as Mitt Romney or supported a particular Republican campaign. Furthermore, Bobby Jindal received a high number of likes when he positioned himself as philosophical center of the party compared to his political accomplishments and attacks an opponent. Overall, these findings suggest Bobby Jindal uses social media to increase his salience to a national audience, especially during significant political events such as the elections. Additionally, the dramatic increase in feedback for national communications may reflect a diversity of followers across a wide range of locations. As Governor Jindal is a leading politician of the Republican Party, his supporters range from all over the nation. Communications that feature national prominence will thus engage these followers outside of Louisiana while Louisiana issues do not affect them. RQ 3: How do Bobby Jindals communication efforts differ between traditional media and social media?

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA Traditional media (press releases) and Social media (Twitter and Facebook) were compared using a chi-square test. The study showed that Governor Jindal utilized social media for a variety of issues; expert authority (20.3%) and attack political opponents (14.3%). Whereas, his press releases were primarily used to announce political appointments, which falls under the category of Emphasize political accomplishments.

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The tests showed the purpose of the message differed between social media and traditional media. He used social media to attack opponents (19.6%) more than for anything else. Again, traditional media was used to promote personal and state accomplishments (83.8%). It was obvious that Governor Jindal used social media to promote his personal opinions and primarily used traditional media for business purposes. According to prior research found in the literature review, politicians are at a greater liberty to express political opinions and to attack opponents on social media, as there are virtually no gatekeepers involved. This idea is reinforced with higher usages of attacking opponents and defending policy positions on social media. The high frequency of the expert authority strategy in Tweets is due to Hurricane Isaac. The vast majority of these Tweets are found in the few days leading to the landing of the hurricane. In these few days, the governors office issued massive amounts of Tweets to correspond with the governors press conferences. It is likely that these Tweets skew the percentages and decrease from a generalizable understanding of his usage of Twitter. RQ 4: How do Bobby Jindals communication efforts differ between Twitter and Facebook? There was also a significant difference found between his use of social media in purposes and issues: Facebook and Twitter. Jindal uses Twitter to primarily inform voters (20.5%). Facebook was used to promote personal and state accomplishments (27%). This

POLITICAL COMMUNICATION ACROSS TRADITIONAL AND NEW MEDIA study also found that during a state emergency, such as Hurricane Isaac, Governor Jindal

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utilized Twitter (21.6%) rather than Facebook (2.6%). Hurricane Isaac serves as a potential limitation to this study, as a significant amount of Tweets focused on this one event that spanned a few days. Implications for Future Research This study only focuses on one politician during one year. Expanding the sample in order to form a more accurate picture of his usage of media can form additional research. Future research may seek to compare Governor Jindal communications efforts with other leading Republican politicians across the nation, including Marco Rubio, Chris Christie and Rand Paul in the lead up to the 2016 presidential election. Finally, future research may also incorporate the media coverage of a corresponding time period to the politicians use of media. This comparison can illustrate any effects of media agenda setting on the politicians communications.

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