Analysis of the Follower Growth and the Multiplatform Presence of Politicians on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in Electoral Campaigns (2011-2019)

Abstract

The participation of politicians in social media is increasingly necessary in order to gain visibility. However, the logic of content dissemination is very different from conventional media. In social media, building a broad and varied base of followers facilitates a greater impact of the message. This article analyses the influence of various individual factors of the candidates on two aspects of the process: variation in the number of followers and multiplatform presence. Both issues are assessed on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram in the context of three general elections held in Spain during the 2010s. The results show that the age and gender of the candidates, their frequency of publication and the position of power of their parties had little impact. On the other hand, the political trajectory of the candidates and the population size of their constituencies played a significant role, although this influence varies depending on the campaign and the social platform. The perspective of this study confirms those influencing factors that have stabilized over time and could predict future social media use more consistently.