doxa.comunicación | nº 26, pp. 99-126 | 99
January-June 2018
ISSN: 1696-019X / e-ISSN: 2386-3978
How to cite this article:
De la Cruz Aguado M.ª G. y García García, A. L. (2018). New Audience Metrics at the Service of Inbound Marketing. Doxa Comunica-ción, 26, 81-98.
The use of Twitter by the main candidates in the general election campaigns in Spain: 2011 and 2015. Is there a digital and generational gap?
El uso de Twitter por parte de los principales candidatos en las campañas electorales para las elecciones generales españolas: 2011 y 2015. ¿Brecha digital y generacional?
How to cite this article:
Cervi, L. y Roca Trenchs, N. (2018). The use of Twitter by the main candidates in the general election campaigns in Spain: 2011 and 2015. Is there a digital and generational gap? Doxa Comunicación, 26, 99-126.
Laura Cervi. She is Associate Professor at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona in the Faculty of Communi-cation Sciences, and she also has a Doctorate in Political Science from the Universita di Pavia, Italy, based on research entitled Nazionalismo e mercato elettorale: il caso catalano (“Nationalism and the electoral market: the Catalonian case”), in the area of Political Communication. Finally, Laura Cervi earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from the Universita di Pavia, Italy with work and research conducted in the United States.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, España
ORCID: 0000-0002-0376-0609
Received: 28/12/2017 - Accepted: 11/04/2018
Recibido: 28/12/2017 - Aceptado: 11/04/2018
Núria Roca Trenchs. She is currently studying a PhD in communication and journalism at the Universitat Autò-noma de Barcelona. She has an Official Master’s Degree in Research in Communication and Journalism from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona as well. Roca holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Audiovisual Communication from the Open University of Catalonia, a Postgraduate Degree in Digital Journalism from the same University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy from the Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, España
ORCID: 0000-0002-9389-5098
Abstract:
Do candidates use Twitter to communicate more directly with their electorate? In this investigation, we question the quantitative and qualitative way in which this social network was used by the main candidates during the Spanish electoral campaigns of 2011 and 2015. The aim is to establish whether there is a digital gap between the candidates of the “old” and “new” politics. Quantitatively, we analysed tweets, retweets, replies, followers/followings, and “likes”. Qualitatively, we analysed the informative, deliberative and partici-pative way in which candidates used this network. The results show that there is no digital gap, and that candidates were far from pro-posing innovative strategies for establishing more direct communi-cation with voters.
Keywords:
Electoral campaigns, digital and generational gap, general elections of 2011 and 2015, Spain, Twitter.
Resumen:
¿Los candidatos usan Twitter para relacionarse más directamente con el electorado? En esta investigación nos preguntamos sobre el uso cuantitativo y cualitativo de esta red por parte de los principales can-didatos durante las campañas electorales españolas de 2011 y 2015. Nos planteamos si existe una brecha digital entre los candidatos de la “vieja” y “nueva” política. Cuantitativamente analizamos los tuits, retuits, respuestas, seguidores y personas a quienes siguen, y los “me gusta” de los candidatos. Cualitativamente valoramos el uso informa-tivo, deliberativo y de participación. Los resultados demuestran que no existe dicha brecha digital y que, de hecho, los candidatos estuvie-ron lejos de proponer estrategias innovadoras de comunicación más directa con los electores.
Palabras claves:
Campañas electorales, brecha digital y generacional, elecciones ge-nerales 2011 y 2015, España, Twitter.
