Despite pronounced differences in their online networks, Facebook and Twitter users are equally likely to see and post political content % of Facebook/ Twitter users who say they mostly follow
These highly engaged social media users express many of the same frustrations about the tone and tenor of political discussions on social media – but many of them simultaneously view social media platforms as valuable tools for political action and discussion. Roughly one-in-five politically engaged users (19%) indicate that they often comment, discuss or post about political issues with others on social media (just 6% of less politically engaged users post with this level of frequency). And nearly one-third of these politically engaged users feel that social media sites do “very well” at bringing new voices into the political discussion (31%) or helping people get involved with issues that matter to them (30%).
The concerns and frustrations outlined above are occurring in a broader context: namely, one in which political discussions are encroaching into a range of different social spaces. Two of the more common social media platforms – Facebook and Twitter – are illustrative in this regard. Facebook users tend to be friends primarily with people they know personally (66% of Facebook users say they mostly follow people they already know), while Twitter users are much more likely to follow people they do not know personally (48% of Twitter users indicate that most of the people they follow are in this category). And a large share of Facebook and Twitter users report that they follow a relatively broad mix of people with differing political views and opinions (indeed, just 23% of Facebook users and 17% of Twitter users say that they mostly follow people with political views that are similar to theirs). But despite these differences in the social and political composition of their networks, an identical share of Facebook users and Twitter users report that they frequently encounter political posts and engage in political discussions among the people in their networks.
Despite pronounced differences in their online  | networks, Facebook and Twitter users are equally  | likely to see and post political content  | % of Facebook/ Twitter users who say they mostly follow  | a mix of those  | they know and People they  | don't know do not know  | People they know personally  | personally  | personally  | Facebook  | 66%  | 30%  | 3%  | Twitter  | 15  | 37  | 48  | is % related of Facebook/Twitter to politics users who say  | of what they see on each site  | is % related of Facebook/Twitter to politics  | a lot  | Some  | little  | None  | Facebook  | 25%  | 42%  | 26%  | 6%  | Twitter  | 24  | 41  | 23  | 1.1  | % related of Facebook) to politics Twitter users wwo say  | of what they post on each site  | 1S related of Facebook) to politics  | lot Some  | little  | None  | Facebook 6% 16%  | 27%  | 51%  | Twitter 8 11  | 20  | 60  | Note: 62% of American adults use Facebookand 20% use Twitter.  | Source Survey conducted July12-Aug, 08, 2016  | "The Political Survey Environmenton Socia Media  | PEW RESEARCH CENTER 