Tweeting to be a constitution-writer in Chile: Social media activity, public discourse, and electoral outcomes during pandemic times

Andrés A. Acuña-Duarte, Pedro G. Campos, Javier A. León and César A. Salazar

Technology in Society, 2024, vol. 79, issue C

Abstract: We examine the impact of social media activity and content on the electoral performance of 1373 candidates who ran in the 2021 Constitutional election in Chile. In line with the two-step flow of communication hypothesis, estimates from binary and fractional response probit models reveal that candidates with an active Twitter/X account and higher user engagement metrics (i.e., retweets and likes per tweet) are more likely to be elected and secure a larger share of votes. Regarding the content disseminated on social media, the effect of emphasized subjects on electoral outcomes is topic-dependent. Specifically, candidates who focus their posts on sociopolitical issues improve their electoral performance, while tweeting about economics tends to reduce the likelihood of being elected as a constitution-writer in Chile. This could be attributed to the 2021 Constitutional election being part of an institutional response to a series of events, including widespread protests across the country and a strong public demand for profound changes to the Chilean status quo.

Keywords: Voting behavior; Political communication; Content analysis; Twitter; e-democracy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:teinso:v:79:y:2024:i:c:s0160791x24002884

DOI: 10.1016/j.techsoc.2024.102740

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