The document analyzes the Twitter communication patterns of Labour Party Peers in the UK House of Lords. It finds that some peers are highly active on Twitter, using it to disseminate political arguments and build networks, while others are more passive. The study analyzes specific peers' tweets, hashtag usage, retweets, and how they help set the agenda on topics like #LASPO and #lordsreform. It concludes that Twitter usage varies among peers and is a mix of political and personal interests, with some emerging as authorities on certain issues through their activity.

1. Elite tweets:
Analysing the twitter communication
patterns of Labour Party Peers in the
House of Lords
Ana Adi (@ana_adi),
Kris Erickson,
Darren Lilleker (@DrDGL)
Media School, Bournemouth University

2. Strategic Political Communication
• Dissemination of political arguments using all
appropriate media
• Setting the agenda – across media and the
public sphere
• Gaining influence, within politics and public
opinion
• Building support networks, joining and
reinforcing existing networks

3. Twitter and political communication
• Potential to disseminate messages to a wide
audience
• Potentiates ‘@’ conversations and themed
argumentational ‘#’ linkages
• Potential to extend reach within networks and
direct contacts with influentials
• Potential to build and join personal/partisan
support and issue networks

4. Case Study: Labour Lords
• The Labour affiliated peers who constitute the
frontbench in the UK upper chamber.
• Time-served political experts with partisan and
personal political agendas
• Serve multiple constituencies
• Partisan but independently minded
• Digital migrants
• Have potential influence on policy and wider
agenda

5. Methodology
• Analysis of Tweets by Labour Lords
frontbench, a total of 22 peers
• Analysis of usage of @ and #, and content
• Semantic analysis of #LASPO and #lordsreform
• Network analysis of in and out links and
agenda setting around # usage.

6. Overall Tweeting Activity

7. Message Content

8. Accessibility and Interactivity

9. Argumentational Linkages

10. @, #, hyperlinks and content
• @ used in 63.2% of
tweets, hashtags in
16.6%, hyperlinks in 14.8%
• @ functionality was used
70% in personal/family and
unclassified (usually replies)
• Political tweets were @
60% of time, hashtags in
16.1%, hyperlinks 14.9%

11. Twitter Efficiency
Demonstrates a
difference in
strategies with some
receiving large
amounts of in-degree
‘@’ and RT traffic.
There is little
relationship with
tweet frequency

12. In-network Linkages
Based purely on Tweets between the group, the blacks are
reference points – are RT’ed or messaged.
Reds are sent to or contact one another.
The ‘out-there’ blues talk to one another almost exclusively
The yellows broadcast with no references in or out

13. Media linkages
Mainstream journalists and press
contacted more frequently than
bloggers. Everyone converges on
guardian and telegraph
LadyBasildon, LordPhil and Jim Knight all
focus on LabourLordsUK.
The ‘out there’ group LabourList.
All reference media, not transmitting to

14. The Twittersphere for #LASPO
Although a seldom used hashtag, Lord Willy
Bach (@FightBach) is prominent as activist

15. Agenda setting: Willy Bach & #LASPO
Bach acts not as
creator but a
communication
hub across
#LASPO and
#legalaid
hashtags

16. Authority: #LASPO
Three poles of influence, one smaller one using the accessible #legal aid; Lord Phil
of Brum leading on an event; Bach leading on the oppositional argument

17. Semantic Networking: #LASPO
Again we see Bach leading
the agenda and partisan
messages through the
@LabourLordsUK
aggregator.
His case study ‘Imi Ahmed’
gained him media coverage

18. The Twittersphere for #lordsreform
Debate on Lords Reform using
#lordsreform features the
aggregator, Lord Philip Hunt, Labour
Deputy Leader as key figures in the
debate.

19. Agenda Setting: @labourlordsuk and
#lords reform
@LabourLordsUK the main hub, then @LordPhilOfBrum, conversation involved a wide
range of Lords and other political actors – Lords in particular: self interest?

20. Semantic Networking: #lords reform
Focused
debate, using
few terms

21. Core findings
• Content shaped by norms of politics or Twitter medium
or a mix?
• Mixed use of @ and #, # used to lead agenda and
shape debates
• There is no evidence of a pareto principle, network
centrality can be manipulated with various measures
• Clear strategy of linking to mainstream media
• Lords work as centres of authority on issues
• Hot, partisan issues (#LASPO) encourage high activity
from key individuals; wider non-partisan issues
(#lordsreform) encourage broader, focused
conversations

22. Tentative Conclusions
• Mixed use of Twitter, driven by interests and
personality
• Party politics dominant part of a mix, but not
across all peers, general news prioritised by
some.
• Twitter can establish communication hubs and
authorities
• Twitter has high potential but dependent on
individual usage