Emotionality in Political Social Media Communications: The Moderating Role of Audience Diversity

Politicians are increasingly turning to social media to engage with the public. At a time marked by extreme partisanship, rhetoric is often emotionally charged. But does this help or hinder efforts to engage followers and attract new ones? Our research examines how the emotionality of U.S. senators’ tweets affects both engagement (e.g., shares) and follower growth. Although emotional posts can increase engagement, this effect diminishes for senators from ideologically diverse battleground states, especially when the emotion is negative. For diverse constituencies, less emotional content may actually lead to greater engagement. Although emotionality can fuel engagement, it is the substantive content of posts that drives follower growth. These findings have implications for political discourse and communication strategy. Although intensely emotional and negative posts may energize a homogeneous base, they can alienate broader audiences and do not attract new followers. Beyond politics, content creators must be mindful of audience heterogeneity and be judicious in the use of emotionally charged messaging.