2004
Volume 2, Issue 2
  • E-ISSN: 2665-9085

Abstract

Abstract

Politicians use social media platforms such as Twitter to connect with the public. However, it remains largely unknown who constitutes the public sphere to whom politicians actually connect, talk, and listen. Focusing on the Twitter network of all Swiss MPs, I identified 129,063 Twitter users with whom politicians connected (i.e., their follower–followee network) or with whom they interacted (e.g., [were] replied to or retweeted). I qualitatively analyzed top connected, talking, and listening MPs, and conducted a semi-automated content analysis of the Twitter users to classify them (N = 70.589). Politicians’ audience consists primarily of ordinary citizens, who also react most often to the politicians’ messages. However, politicians listen more often to actors close to politics and the media than to ordinary citizens. Thus, politicians navigate between engaging with everyone without losing control over the communication situation and address key multipliers such journalist to get their messages out.

Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.5117/CCR2020.2.003.KELL
2020-10-01
2024-10-09
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

/deliver/fulltext/26659085/2/2/03_CCR2020.2_KELL.html?itemId=/content/journals/10.5117/CCR2020.2.003.KELL&mimeType=html&fmt=ahah

References

  1. Ausserhofer, J., & Maireder, A.(2013). National Politics on Twitter. Information, Communication & Society, 16(3), 291–314. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2012.756050
    [Google Scholar]
  2. Benkler, Y., Roberts, H., Faris, R., Solow-Niederman, A., & Etling, B.(2015). Social Mobilization and the Networked Public Sphere: Mapping the SOPA-PIPA Debate. Political Communication, 32(4), 594–624. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2014.986349
    [Google Scholar]
  3. Blassnig, S., Ernst, N., Engesser, S., & Esser, F.(2019). Populism and Social Media Popularity. In R.Davis & D.Taras (Eds.), Power Shift? Political Leadership and Social Media (pp. 97–111). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429466007-7
    [Google Scholar]
  4. Blassnig, S., & Wirz, D. S.(2019). Populist and Popular: An Experiment on the Drivers of User Reactions to Populist Posts on Facebook. Social Media + Society, 5(4), 205630511989006. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305119890062
    [Google Scholar]
  5. Clauset, A., Shalizi, C. R., & Newman, M. E. J.(2009). Power-Law Distributions in Empirical Data. SIAM Review, 51(4), 661–703. https://doi.org/10.1137/070710111
    [Google Scholar]
  6. Crawford, K.(2009). Following you: Disciplines of listening in social media. Continuum, 23(4), 525–535. https://doi.org/10.1080/10304310903003270
    [Google Scholar]
  7. Dahlberg, L.(1998). Cyberspace and the Public Sphere. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 4(1), 70–84. https://doi.org/10.1177/135485659800400108
    [Google Scholar]
  8. Davis, C. A., Varol, O., Ferrara, E., Flammini, A., & Menczer, F.(2016). BotOrNot. In J.Bourdeau, J. A.Hendler, R. N.Nkambou, I.Horrocks, & B. Y.Zhao (Eds.), Proceedings of the 25th International Conference Companion on World Wide Web - WWW '16 Companion (pp. 273–274). New York, New York, USA: ACM Press. https://doi.org/10.1145/2872518.2889302
    [Google Scholar]
  9. Davis, R., Holtz-Bacha, C., & Just, M. R. (Eds.) (2017). Routledge studies in global information, politics and society: Vol. 11. Twitter and elections around the world: Campaigning in 140 characters or less. New York, London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
    [Google Scholar]
  10. Dobson, A.(2012). Listening: The New Democratic Deficit. Political Studies, 60(4), 843–859. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9248.2012.00944.x
    [Google Scholar]
  11. Ferree, M. M., Gamson, W. A., Gerhards, J., & Rucht, D.(2002). Four models of the public sphere in modern democracies. Theory and Society, 31(3), 289–324. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016284431021
    [Google Scholar]
  12. Gillespie, C. S.(2015). Fitting Heavy Tailed Distributions: The poweRlaw Package. Journal of Statistical Software, 64(2), 1–16. Retrieved from www.jstatsoft.org/v64/i02/
    [Google Scholar]
  13. Graham, T., Broersma, M., Hazelhoff, K., & van 't Haar, G.(2013). Between broadcasting political messages and interacting with voters. Information, Communication & Society, 16(5), 692–716. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2013.785581
    [Google Scholar]
  14. Hargittai, E.(2018). Potential Biases in Big Data. Social Science Computer Review, 43(0), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318788322
    [Google Scholar]
  15. Jacobs, K., & Spierings, N.(2019). A populist paradise? Examining populists’ Twitter adoption and use. Information, Communication & Society, 22(12), 1681–1696. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1449883
    [Google Scholar]
  16. Jarren, O., & Donges, P.(2011). Politische Kommunikation in der Mediengesellschaft: Eine Einführung (3., wesentlich überarb. u. aktualis. Aufl.). Studienbücher zur Kommunikations- und Medienwissenschaft. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften.
    [Google Scholar]
  17. Jungherr, A.(2016). Four Functions of Digital Tools in Election Campaigns. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 21(3), 358–377. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161216642597
    [Google Scholar]
  18. Kalsnes, B.(2016). The Social Media Paradox Explained: Comparing Political Parties’ Facebook Strategy Versus Practice. Social Media + Society, 2(2), 205630511664461. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305116644616
    [Google Scholar]
  19. Karlsen, R., & Enjolras, B.(2016). Styles of Social Media Campaigning and Influence in a Hybrid Political Communication System. The International Journal of Press/Politics, 21(3), 338–357. https://doi.org/10.1177/1940161216645335
    [Google Scholar]
  20. Keller, T. R., & Kleinen-von Königslöw, K. (2018a). Followers, spread the message! Predicting the success of Swiss politicians on Facebook and Twitter. Social Media + Society, 4(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118765733
    [Google Scholar]
  21. Keller, T. R., & Kleinen-von Königslöw, K. (2018b). Followers, Spread the Message!: Predicting the Success of Swiss Politicians on Facebook and Twitter. Social Media + Society, 4(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118765733
    [Google Scholar]
  22. Keller, T. R., & Klinger, U.(2019). Social Bots in Election Campaigns: Theoretical, Empirical, and Methodological Implications. Political Communication, 36(1), 171–189. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2018.1526238
    [Google Scholar]
  23. Klinger, U., & Svensson, J.(2015). The emergence of network media logic in political communication: A theoretical approach. New Media & Society, 17(8), 1241–1257. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444814522952
    [Google Scholar]
  24. Kobayashi, T., & Ichifuji, Y.(2015). Tweets That Matter: Evidence From a Randomized Field Experiment in Japan. Political Communication, 32(4), 574–593. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584609.2014.986696
    [Google Scholar]
  25. Kriesi, H.(2008). Direct democratic choice: The Swiss experience (1st pbk. ed.). Lanham: Lexington Books.
    [Google Scholar]
  26. Larsson, A. O.(2017). Going viral? Comparing parties on social media during the 2014 Swedish election. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 23(2), 117–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856515577891
    [Google Scholar]
  27. Larsson, A. O., & Moe, H.(2014). Triumph of the Underdogs?: Comparing Twitter Use by Political Actors During Two Norwegian Election Campaigns. SAGE Open, 4(4), 215824401455901. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244014559015
    [Google Scholar]
  28. Latzer, M., Büchi, M., Festic, N., & Just, N.(2017). Internetanwendungen und deren Nutzung in der Schweiz 2017: Themenbericht aus dem World Internet Project - Switzerland 2017. Retrieved from www.mediachange.ch/media//pdf/publications/Anwendungen_Nutzung_2017.pdf
    [Google Scholar]
  29. Lee, E.‑J., & Jang, J.‑w.(2013). Not So Imaginary Interpersonal Contact With Public Figures on Social Network Sites. Communication Research, 40(1), 27–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650211431579
    [Google Scholar]
  30. Lee, E.‑J., & Shin, S. Y.(2012). Are they talking to me? Cognitive and affective effects of interactivity in politicians' twitter communication. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 15(10), 515–520. https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2012.0228
    [Google Scholar]
  31. Lee, E.‑J., & Shin, S. Y.(2014). When the Medium Is the Message. Communication Research, 41(8), 1088–1110. https://doi.org/10.1177/0093650212466407
    [Google Scholar]
  32. Levy, D. A. L., Newman, N., Fletcher, R., Kalogeropoulos, A., & Nielsen, R. K.(2018). Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2018. Oxford. Retrieved from Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism website: media.digitalnewsreport.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/digital-news-report-2018.pdf?x89475
    [Google Scholar]
  33. Marwick, A. E., & boyd, d.(2011). I tweet honestly, I tweet passionately: Twitter users, context collapse, and the imagined audience. New Media & Society, 13(1), 114–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444810365313
    [Google Scholar]
  34. Metag, J., & Rauchfleisch, A.(2017). Journalists’ Use of Political Tweets. Digital Journalism, 5(9), 1155–1172. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2016.1248989
    [Google Scholar]
  35. Nielsen, R. K., & Vaccari, C.(2013). Do People “Like” Politicians on Facebook? Not Really. Large-Scale Direct Candidate-to-Voter Online Communication as an Outlier Phenomenon. International Journal of Communication, 7(24), 2333–2356. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/1717
    [Google Scholar]
  36. Parmelee, J. H.(2014). The agenda-building function of political tweets. New Media & Society, 16(3), 434–450. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813487955
    [Google Scholar]
  37. Rauchfleisch, A., & Kaiser, J.(2020). The False Positive Problem of Automatic Bot Detection in Social Science Research. SSRN Electronic Journal. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3565233
    [Google Scholar]
  38. Rauchfleisch, A., & Metag, J.(2016). The special case of Switzerland: Swiss politicians on Twitter. New Media & Society, 18(10), 2413–2431. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444815586982
    [Google Scholar]
  39. Rauchfleisch, A., & Metag, J.(2020). Beyond normalization and equalization on Twitter: Politicians’ Twitter use during non-election times and influences of media attention. Journal of Applied Journalism & Media Studies, 9(2), 169–189. https://doi.org/10.1386/ajms_00021_1
    [Google Scholar]
  40. Rheingold, H.(2000). The virtual community: Homesteading on the electronic frontier (Revised edition). Cambridge: The MIT Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  41. Rogstad, I.(2016). Is Twitter just rehashing? Intermedia agenda setting between Twitter and mainstream media. Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 13(2), 142–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/19331681.2016.1160263
    [Google Scholar]
  42. Schäfer, M. S.(2015). Digital Public Sphere. In G.Mazzoleni (Ed.), The International Encyclopedia of Political Communication (Vol. 15, pp. 1–7). Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118541555.wbiepc087
    [Google Scholar]
  43. Spierings, N., Jacobs, K., & Linders, N.(2018). Keeping an Eye on the People. Social Science Computer Review, 089443931876358. https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318763580
    [Google Scholar]
  44. Stromer-Galley, J.(2000). On-Line Interaction and Why Candidates Avoid It. Journal of Communication, 50(4), 111–132. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2466.2000.tb02865.x
    [Google Scholar]
  45. Tromble, R.(2018). Thanks for (actually) responding! How citizen demand shapes politicians’ interactive practices on Twitter. New Media & Society, 20(2), 676–697. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444816669158
    [Google Scholar]
  46. Twitter(2017). Using Deep Learning at Scale in Twitter's Timelines. Retrieved from https://blog.twitter.com/engineering/en_us/topics/insights/2017/using-deep-learning-at-scale-in-twitters-timelines.html
    [Google Scholar]
  47. Vaccari, C., & Valeriani, A.(2015). Follow the leader! Direct and indirect flows of political communication during the 2013 Italian general election campaign. New Media & Society, 17(7), 1025–1042. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444813511038
    [Google Scholar]
  48. Van Dijck, J.(2013). The culture of connectivity: A critical history of social media. New York: Oxford University Press.
    [Google Scholar]
  49. Wessler, H.(2008). Investigating Deliberativeness Comparatively. Political Communication, 25(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10584600701807752
    [Google Scholar]
  50. Williams, C. B., & Gulati, G. J. ‘J.’(2013). Social networks in political campaigns: Facebook and the congressional elections of 2006 and 2008. New Media & Society, 15(1), 52–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444812457332
    [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.5117/CCR2020.2.003.KELL
Loading
/content/journals/10.5117/CCR2020.2.003.KELL
Loading

Data & Media loading...

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was a Success
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error