Gender and Generational Differences in Political Reporters’ Interactivity on Twitter

Abstract

A content analysis of US political reporters examines how journalists’ age and gender influence their interactivity on Twitter with citizens, politicians, organizations, and fellow journalists. Findings contribute to the concept of normalization, which suggests that journalists do not take advantage of new technology’s engagement opportunities. Male political reporters were nearly twice as likely as female reporters to engage in the most genuine form of interactivity, and Generation X reporters were far more involved than Millennials in having back-and-forth conversations with citizens. The results show the degree to which journalistic normalization of Twitter depends on the gender and generation of the reporters involved.

KEYWORDS:

• content analysis
• interactivity
• journalism
• Twitter

DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.