California lawmakers face new challenges as social media becomes part of the job
Before a press conference on public safety bills last month, Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones and his communications director took a moment to record a video that would be viewed over 340,000 times across Instagram and Facebook.
“Get ready to pay more for gasoline today!” Jones said, framed by the Capitol building and a partly cloudy day. He was criticizing Gov. Gavin Newsom and cautioning a potential hike in gas prices.
Jones holds the title for most Instagram famous California state Senator with nearly 60,000 followers — and it isn’t by accident. Those in the state’s minority party pay special attention to the expansive audience social media offers.
“While traditional media remains important, social media offers a powerful new platform for both elected officials and everyday Californians to share news and perspectives directly,” Jones told The Bee.
As social media becomes an increasingly popular way to reach constituents communications scholars aren’t as positive about its efficacy as a direct form of communication.
Mike Ananny, an associate professor of communication and journalism at USC Annenberg School for Communications and Journalism, is skeptical in part because of various algorithms and demographics of each platform.
“It’s enticing, it’s seductive, because it offers this idea of direct democracy,” Ananny said.
“But I think it’s a myth, because you’re forced to channel and funnel yourself into these rules and norms and expectations of platforms.”
Algorithms everywhere
Social media platforms use algorithms to sort content and decide what gets promoted to users. Many platforms track user data to better inform their algorithms and pump content based on user’s engagement with their apps. This is what keeps people scrolling for hours.
On a page for “creators,” Instagram explains how it decides who sees what content and when. Each part of the platform — Feed, Explore and Reels — has its own algorithm, all of which are based on user feedback in the form of “signals.”
“How often people see your content is based on what they like, comment on, and even how you tag or format posts,” Instagram’s website says.
The platform encourages creators — including legislators — to target content to their audience and niche, use popular formats, geo-tagging, and ask viewers to engage.
State Sens. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, and Sasha Renée Pérez, D-Alhambra, have tried this out. Together, the two have posted videos to trending audio on Instagram and TikTok. In July the two paired up to partake in a trend set to the song “Illegal” by PinkPantheress.
The video promotes Senate Bills 627 and 805, which would prevent law enforcement officials from wearing masks and require them to be identifiable. On Instagram the video garnered just under 1 million views and over 100,000 likes. The exact same video, posted on TikTok, got nearly double that many views, and was liked about 464,000 times.
Instagram is one of the more transparent platforms when it comes to its algorithms, while other popular platforms such as TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) don’t publicly explain any part of their algorithms.
In the end, those creating content — whether they are an influencer or elected official — often have to make a calculated guess when choosing what to post and cross their fingers that it reaches the intended audience.
University of San Diego Associate Professor of Communications, Nik Usher, said the one thing these elusive algorithms tend to do is pick up and push the more enticing, novelty content.
“It ends up pushing politicians to take more and more extreme positions,” Usher said. “With the hope of gaining some sort of traction in this very crowded digital attention economy.”
The algorithm’s work can also be seen on Jones’ Instagram where he usually talks directly to the camera about prominent statewide policy issues. Most of his videos are all similarly formatted, but while some have reached over 2.5 million views, others sit below the 10,000 view mark.
One of Jones’ most popular Reels features video clips of Newsom speaking about the high speed rail from 2008 to 2025. The video doesn’t feature Jones at all — instead it used the notoriety of Newsom and controversy of the high speed rail project to draw in frustrated viewers.
In the comment section, one user called the project a “money laundering scheme by the Democrats.” Over 19,000 users liked the comment, boosting the conspiratorial language under the senator’s viral post.
Finding new avenues
Some newer social media platforms, which gained popularity after Elon Musk took ownership of X, don’t have the same algorithmic qualities.
If politicians and journalists committed to using platforms such as Bluesky and Mastadon, Ananny thinks they could be a more productive alternative to traditional platforms.
In March, Democratic Assembly leadership announced all but two of its caucus members would leave X behind. Since then, they have largely avoided the platform and many have turned to Bluesky.
“Democracy depends on impartial information,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, said about the decision in March. “Not the shifting whims of one billionaire.”
While some senators made similar statements, acknowledging the rampage of misinformation and lack of moderation on the platform, many continued to use it.
Wiener, the most prominent X user in the Senate, with over 105,000 followers, announced in February that he would no longer rely on X as a primary way of promoting his work in the legislature.
“I hope X gets fixed at some point — I enjoyed using it for so many years — but at this point,” Wiener said, “it’s a garbage fire.”
But, in June he seemingly turned his full attention back to X. Users welcomed him with homophobic, antisemitic and otherwise offensive and threatening direct messages and responses.
That month, Wiener also filed paperwork to run for the congressional seat currently held by Rep. Nancy Pelosi. Entering national politics could have been a motivator to return to his large X audience. To reach those audiences and donors, Ananny said Wiener likely made a calculation that he had to be visible on the less-than-ideal platform.
“I understand why Weiner would do that, but I also think that’s a bit of a disappointing choice,” he said. “To continue to have an affiliation with such a toxic platform and owner.”
Online harassment
State Sen. Aisha Wahab, D-Hayward, has experienced the toxic side of social media firsthand. During her first year in office, after proposing a bill to formally ban caste-based discrimination, Wahab received everything from legitimate concerns to death threats on social media.
“We’ve had actual, physical, violent threats,” Wahab said in 2023. “Some people have even wished my children died ... I don’t have children, so, knock on wood.”
Despite the downfalls, she said social media is still a good way for her to get information to constituents.
“You grow thicker skin as you do more work and you face more criticism,” Wahab told the Bee. “The first couple of times you are criticized, it really bothers you. But after a certain point you know it comes with the job, it comes with the territory, people have a right to their opinion.”
Wahab is not alone, receiving hate messages seems to be inevitable for legislators sharing posts with large audiences. And being harassed on social media is even more common for women and people of color, Ananny said.
“If those platforms continue to encourage and allow really toxic, harmful, hateful speech,” Ananny said, “You’re just going to get politicians who are either wanting to be part of that or who have the power or privilege to endure it.”
This story was originally published August 2, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
