- Congress members post about mass shootings on social media.
- Some members post more often than others after events.
- Democrats post much more after mass shootings happen online.
- Republicans do not change their posting much online.
- Posts increase when there are more deaths in shootings.
- Posting rises if the shooting is in home state.
- Most attention ends quickly after about two days.
- Researchers collected posts from many members over two years.
Difficult words
- shooting — an event where people are shot or hurtmass shootings, shootings
- social media — websites and apps where people share posts
- member — a person who belongs to a groupmembers
- death — when a person stops livingdeaths
- home state — the state where a person lives
- attention — notice or interest from other people
- researcher — a person who studies a topic to learnResearchers
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Do you post on social media after a news event?
- Do you follow posts from politicians online?
- How many days do you follow a news event after it happens?
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