Abstract

Twitter has become an essential instrument in the communication strategies of political actors during electoral campaigns. However, it is necessary to improve the knowledge about its use. The aim of this piece of research is to analyse the interaction in the usage of Twitter by the four main candidates in Spanish 2016 general elections. The research method is a content analysis of 2,339 tweets published during the electoral campaign. The results show: 1) candidates do not interact with citizens, but their main use of Twitter is self-referential; 2) the strategic use of hybridization between new media and conventional media is patent; 3) a clear distinction between old and new parties is not possible regarding the management of Twitter accounts.

Abstract

This research analyzes candidates and political parties electoral campaign on Twitter that have obtained greater parliamentary representation in the general elections held in April 2019 in Spain. The main objective of this work is to analyze the influence of the electoral debates in the publications of the candidates and political parties on Twitter, to find out if they have a greater impact and enhance social discourse. We also aim to determine what type of messages and strategies have greatest impact on Twitter. The methodology used to achieve these goals was a quantitative, qualitative, explanatory and cross-sectional content analysis. To carry it out, a sample composed by 745 tweets was selected from those that reached more than 500 retweets, published by parties (PSOE, PP, Ciudadanos, Unidos Podemos and Vox) and candidates (Pedro Sánchez, Pablo Casado, Albert Rivera, Pablo Iglesias and Santiago Abascal) during the election campaign (21A).The results suggest that televised debates act as true catalysts for social conversation, so the publications made by both, the parties and the candidates themselves, during the television broadcast of these events achieve a greater impact among followers, than those that are not linked to such events. Likewise, it is demonstrated that parties and candidates born in the heyday of social media, get a greater diffusion of their messages, because they have optimized their strategies in social networks, something that have not yet been achieved by the formations accustomed to conventional mass media.