Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Trending away from Twitter

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Trending away from Twitter

IS THIS THING ON? — If it seems like you’re tweeting more into a void than an echo chamber these days, you’re not alone.

Engagement is down across the #mapoli and #bospoli hashtags for state and Boston politics, according to new analysis from Legislata , a productivity software for politicians, and its founder and CEO Chris Oates.

Oates compared tweets per day during the week that Gov. Maura Healey released her first budget (a very newsy time) to tweets per day in August 2021 (a quieter time in state politics, save for mayors races). He found that one-third fewer tweets were sent per day and one-third as many accounts were using the #mapoli hashtag per day during budget week as compared to August 2021.

He also saw a shift in who ’s tweeting. While accounts run by private citizens were “getting a lot of followers and a lot of engagement” in the summer of 2021, it was politicians and journalists who dominated the Twitter discourse during budget week, Oates said.

Maybe people just aren't that into state budgets (though if you're reading this, you probably are). But Oates found other instances of declining engagement — like a drop-off in the average number of retweets and favorites of tweets from politicians like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, who've stayed on Twitter despite their distaste for its new owner.

“There’s a broad decline in the use of Twitter across the Massachusetts political establishment and a particular decline among average citizens,” Oates told Playbook. “If political Twitter is declining — whether that’s because of Elon Musk or the rise of WhatsApp [and other services] — it raises the question of whether it’s useful to put a lot of your effort into Twitter to get your message out there?”

Playbook put that question to Jonathan Cohn, political director for Progressive Massachusetts and a Democratic activist who uses his outsized Twitter presence for organizing and promoting progressive viewpoints. (We're focusing on Democrats because Republican activists here tend to favor Facebook.)

“Twitter remains a utility,” Cohn said. But engagement ebbs and flows with each campaign cycle. And people are less online now than they were at the height of the pandemic (remember how hyper-online the 2020 U.S. Senate primary got?). That means campaigns “have to start thinking about how to engage on other platforms as well,” Cohn said.

Breaking up with Twitter has been hard to do for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. A prolific tweeter whose @wutrain handle was an integral part of her political brand, Wu said she retreated from the platform late last year amid increasing harassment against herself and others that crowded out the "community conversation" she used to enjoy.

But Twitter's usefulness as an "information-sharing platform" eventually drew her back, though in a limited capacity. When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed, for instance, Wu used her official @MayorWu account to circulate a survey for businesses that might need assistance. But she's also turning more to Instagram, and has been dabbling in Mastodon and even BeReal.

“I want to be in every space our constituents are in. And that means finding the right balance, even if there’s more to ignore or cut through in certain spaces,” Wu told Playbook. “It’s a struggle I’m still trying to sort out.”

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Here's the shameless plug you probably saw coming: Follow me on Twitter @lisakashinsky. We can commiserate the next time it breaks.

TODAY — Healey is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll is in D.C. for the National Lieutenant Governors Association Federal-State Relations Conference. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark attends the MGH Revere Healthcare Center Food Pantry ribbon-cutting ceremony at 8 a.m. Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. and attends Eastie Farm’s Spring Equinox Celebration at 10:45 a.m.

Tips? Scoops? Interesting tweets? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Santiago vows to ‘rebuild trust’ in veterans’ services,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine: “Jon Santiago knows the pandemic left Massachusetts looking askance at its veterans’ services after scores of COVID deaths amid scandals over mismanagement at two long-term care facilities for veterans. Reforming the embattled soldiers’ home system and instilling confidence in his office, Santiago said, are his top priorities as Gov. Maura Healey’s secretary of veterans’ services, a newly created cabinet-level post. … With superintendents from veterans’ homes in Holyoke and Chelsea beside him, Santiago said they are ‘committed to changing the culture, rebranding the institution, to best serve our veterans.’”

— “Missed training — including for use of force — led to 46 Mass. police suspensions,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “A group of 46 police officers facing license suspensions did not complete a 40-hour training course that included materials on cultural competency, de-escalation and use of force, according to documents summarizing the teachings.”

— "State board allowed woman accused of abusing foster children to keep nursing license for more than a decade," by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe.

FROM THE HUB

— “Will this trio of Boston police officers stay fired?” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “If history is any indication, the dismissals of former sergeant Shana Cottone, and patrolmen Joseph Abasciano, and Michael Geary are anything but a done deal. Attorneys for Cottone and Abasciano say the two will appeal their terminations. Geary’s attorney declined to comment.”

— “Evictions in Boston spike over last year,” by Diego Lopez, GBH News: “The number of evictions filed each week in Boston are up nearly 75% from last year, according to new data released by Princeton University’s Eviction Lab, looking at the four-week average. Advocates and attorneys say eviction rates are coming back up after a lull during the pandemic, saying it’s been a decades-long problem exacerbated by a cost-of-living crisis.”

— “Boston councilors seek ‘scofflaw’ landlord list,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald.

STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today .

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “DATTCO slams brakes on SouthCoast to Boston bus service,” by Grace Ferguson, New Bedford Light: “Commuter buses headed for Boston will leave their South Coast stations for the last time next month. The DATTCO SouthCoast-Boston Express bus route will end service on April 16 because of declining ridership, the company announced. … New Bedford is expected to get two MBTA commuter rail stops at the end of the year, which [DATTCO vice president Dennis] Lyons said were going to put the bus route out of business anyway. But the trains won’t arrive for months, and that’s if the infamously long-delayed project does finish on time.”

DAY IN COURT

— “Judge denies triple damages for former SORB head,” by Julie Manganis, Salem News: “While acknowledging that former Gov. Deval Patrick was driven by emotions and was ‘to some extent, negligent’ in the process that led to his firing the chair of the state’s Sex Offender Registry Board in 2014, a judge has concluded that Patrick did not act out of ‘evil motive’ or any intent to harm her career. And it’s for that reason that Newburyport Superior Court Judge James Lang on Tuesday denied a request by Saundra Edwards for punitive triple damages in her whistleblower suit against the state.”

— "Boston jury finds former Haitian mayor — now a Malden resident — liable for political violence," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “Following a dismal global climate report, could Massachusetts push up its net-zero goal?” by Sabrina Shankman and Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: “Several state policy makers, legislators, and others who helped shape Massachusetts’ climate targets said that moving the deadline [up from 2050] could force a daunting if not prohibitive redo of untold amounts of work that took years to achieve. One lawmaker central to the state’s landmark climate laws, Senator Michael Barrett, said the state could also risk a popular backlash against climate policies perceived as liberal if they were suddenly shifted into significantly higher gear.”

— “Climate activists in Boston call on big banks divest from fossil fuel companies,” by Paula Moura, WBUR: “Climate activists took to the streets of Boston’s financial district to demand banks stop investing in fossil fuel companies. The protest was one of more than 100 around the country organized by Third Act, a climate activism group largely made up of retirees.”

FROM THE 413

— “The saga of Great Barrington’s last beer and wine license continues with a warning from Price Chopper,” by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: “Price Chopper representatives told the Select Board last month that alcohol sales are critical to the chain's $4 million rebranding overhaul of the store into a Market 32. They also said a number of the town’s jobs would be lost if town officials don’t reverse an earlier decision to not grant the company the license. But while granting it might relieve financial pressure on the town, it might also create legal pressure, given another license rejection of a competitor by the board last year.”

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THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Everett school leaders file discrimination lawsuit against the mayor,” by Liz Neisloss, GBH News: “Superintendent Priya Tahiliani and Kim Tsai, her deputy, filed a lawsuit against Mayor Carlo DeMaria in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on Tuesday, accusing him of racism, retaliatory attacks and interfering with their work as they attempted to diversify the school district’s leadership. The civil complaint also lists the city of Everett and Everett’s school committee as defendants.”

— “Wayland Superintendent Omar Easy had previously alleged discrimination in Everett,” by Norman Miller, MetroWest Daily News: “Last month, Superintendent of Schools Omar Easy filed a complaint with the state arguing he was discriminated against based on his race after being placed on paid administrative leave by the School Committee. The complaint, which was filed with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD), has not yet gotten a ruling. … While he was executive vice principal of academics for Everett Public Schools, Easy in 2019 claimed he was passed over for a chance to become the district's superintendent due to his race. … MCAD dismissed the claim in 2020 without a full hearing by the commission.”

— “Home belonging to son of Sen. Elizabeth Warren destroyed in Medford fire,” by Mari Salazar and Annie Sandoli, 7 News.

— “Raffles, charity bingo rebounding from pandemic,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune.

MEDIA MATTERS

— “Springfield public media company cuts 20% of its staff,” by Yasmin Amer, WBUR.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Scott S. Spearing is now partner in Casner & Edwards’ litigation group.

MASS. MOVES AT POLITICO — Boston Globe and GBH alum Katie Locke continues to climb the ranks at POLITICO, where she’s stepping into a new role as breaking news editor. Kelly Garrity has officially joined the breaking news desk along with her Playbook guest-hosting duties. And Globe and NYT alum Matt Berg, who’s been crushing the national security beat for POLITICO these past few months, is now splitting his time between that and breaking news.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former state Rep. Tom Sannicandro, Daniel Sullivan, Zachary Agush and Larry Farmer .

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .

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