Communication of European populist leaders on Twitter: Agenda setting and the “more is less” effect

Alonso-Muñoz, Laura and Casero, Andreu Communication of European populist leaders on Twitter: Agenda setting and the “more is less” effect. El profesional de la información, 2016, vol. 27, n. 6, pp. 1193-1202. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

The populist phenomenon has acquired great relevance during the last decade. The emergence of new populist actors and the consolidation of the use of social media such as Twitter are transforming the field of political communication. The objective of this paper is to know the agenda set by the leaders of the main European populist political parties on Twitter, as well as the strategy they use and the user interaction achieved. The sample consists of the 2,310 tweets published by the leaders of Podemos, the 5 Stelle Movement, France’s National Front and UKIP during three random time periods. The results show a low degree of thematic fragmentation, the launch of proposals instead of attracting voters, and the existence of a strong negative correlation between the number of published tweets and user interest.

Spanish abstract

El fenómeno populista ha adquirido una gran relevancia durante la última década. El surgimiento de nuevos actores populistas junto con la consolidación del uso de redes sociales como Twitter están transformando el campo de la comunicación política. El objetivo de este artículo es conocer la agenda planteada en Twitter por los líderes de los principales partidos políticos populistas europeos, así como la estrategia que emplean y la respuesta obtenida por parte de los usuarios. La muestra está integrada por los 2.310 tweets publicados por los líderes de Podemos, el Movimento 5 Stelle, el Frente Nacional y el UKIP durante tres periodos temporales aleatorios. Los resultados plantean un bajo grado de fragmentación temática, el lanzamiento de propuestas frente a la captación de votantes y la existencia de una fuerte correlación negativa entre el número de tweets publicados y el interés de los usuarios.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: Political communication; Populism; Social media; Twitter; Agenda-setting; Leadership; Comunicación política; Populismo; Medios sociales; Twitter; Agenda-setting; Liderazgo
Subjects: B. Information use and sociology of information > BJ. Communication
H. Information sources, supports, channels. > HT. Web 2.0, Social networks
Depositing user: Gaspar Martín Molín
Date deposited: 11 Feb 2019 08:10
Last modified: 11 Feb 2019 08:22
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/33963

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