The Voter and the Propagandistic Content on Facebook: Analysis of the Content and Perception of the Ecuadorian Voter

Gandhy Godoy-Guevara (), Andrea Basantes-Andrade, Miguel Naranjo-Toro and David Ortiz-Dávila
Additional contact information
Gandhy Godoy-Guevara: Grupo Investigación Comunicación Visual e Interculturalidad, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Ibarra 100105, Ecuador
Andrea Basantes-Andrade: Network Science Research Group e-CIER, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Ibarra 100105, Ecuador
Miguel Naranjo-Toro: Network Science Research Group e-CIER, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Ibarra 100105, Ecuador
David Ortiz-Dávila: Grupo Investigación Comunicación Visual e Interculturalidad, Universidad Técnica del Norte, Ibarra 100105, Ecuador

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 2, 1-23

Abstract: This research seeks to elucidate the influence of Facebook advertising content on voting decisions and public perceptions of candidates during the 2023 Imbabura elections, exploring both how citizens perceive such content and how it affects their voting behavior. A case study approach was employed, integrating content analysis through Atlas.ti and the application of factor analysis to survey interpretation. The findings revealed that specific content, such as memes, exerts a notable influence on the younger electorate. This influence is reinforced by communication strategies that emphasize the frequency and repetition of this content, although no direct correlation with key demographic variables was found. Furthermore, the study demonstrates that a communication strategy devoid of value content reduces social networks to mere information channels, akin to open television. In conclusion, the study emphasizes the necessity of digital communication strategies that prioritize the creation of valuable content for audiences, with the aim of fostering a more discerning and engaged electorate.

Keywords: political propaganda; social networks; public perception; sectional elections; content analysis; political communication; Facebook; viral content; citizen participation; elections Ecuador (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/2/41/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4698/15/2/41/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsoctx:v:15:y:2025:i:2:p:41-:d:1593682

Access Statistics for this article

Societies is currently edited by Ms. Farrah Sun

More articles in Societies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().