The UJI reveals that Spanish politicians underutilise Instagram as a mobilisation tool during periods of crisis



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## The UJI reveals that Spanish politicians underutilise Instagram as a mobilisation tool during periods of crisis A study by the group Journalism, Communication and Power has analysed the spectacularisation of the Catalan independence process through ten profiles of political leaders in this social network

26/11/2018 |
SCP

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A study developed by the Research Group in Journalism, Communication and Power of the Universitat Jaume I (UJI) reveals that the Instagram social network is still underutilised by Spanish politicians as a tool for mobilisation during periods of crisis, such as the independence process of Catalonia, also in technical and formal aspects, such as the use of videos or elements of personal life. The results of this work, carried out by the lecturers of the Department of Communication Sciences Pablo López-Rabadán and Hugo Doménech-Fabregat, have been published in the journal *El profesional de la información* (EPI).

The objective of this research was to analyse the strategic management that politicians make of Instagram, which has become a reference medium for the production and distribution of images from all areas, especially in contexts of political and institutional crisis. For this reason, López-Rabadán and Doménech-Fabregat focused on one of the most intense phases of the Catalan crisis, from June 2017 to April 2018; and studied in depth 188 images published by the top ten leaders of the Catalan and Spanish political map, both in votes of their parties and followers in the network studied.

The findings of the research show a regular political use of Instagram, characterized by intense personalization and orientation towards professional issues, that is, without representation of the most private sphere and away from the political focus. In addition, the use of spectacular-based resources is detected, such as emotional appeal, hybridization of spaces and experimentation with expressive filters. Despite this, researchers have detected the use of Instagram by political leaders as referring to “limits to experimentation, an underutilization of Instagram that limits its impact on citizen mobilization, as well as other actions such as criticism of the adversary, humour or entertainment”, says Pablo López-Rabadán. In addition, researchers also detect gaps in Instagram profiles, such as the incorporation of selfies or videos.

**AN ORIGINAL METHOD BASED ON THE 5W**

The interest of the researchers of the UJI in this work of political communication through social networks has been to analyse the use of representative political leaders in the crisis of the independence movement in Catalonia with the aim of knowing the new trends in this specialty. To this end, Hugo Doménech-Fabregat explains that “an original methodology has been created: we have started from the classic axis of the 5W of journalism — what, who, how, where and when — and we have proposed nine categories of analysis that review in an integral way the main thematic and formal features associated with the spectacularization of politics”. “Our study is novel because Instagram has still been little studied, both in the theoretical and methodological field, in the scientific literature”, the researcher adds.

**FROM PEDRO SÁNCHEZ TO ARRIMADAS AND PUIGDEMONT**

Lecturer Pablo López-Rabadán argues that — although the use of Instagram has become usual in the field of political communication — “the degree of use by political leaders is dissimilar, without a significant ideological connection. There are cases of a very varied and professional management, both in the independence sector with Carles Puigdemont (PDeCAT) or Oriol Junqueras (ERC), and among state leaders such as president Mariano Rajoy (PP), Pablo Iglesias (Podemos), Albert Rivera or Inés Arrimadas, both from Ciudadanos”. In addition, on the other hand, “cases of limited use are still detected, such as the leaders of the PSC and En Comú Podem, or that of Pedro Sánchez before accessing the Presidency of the Government”, he stresses.

For example, the use of this social network is erratic “in the case of Partit Socialista de Catalunya (PSC), Podemos Cataluña or the socialist Pedro Sánchez, before gaining access to the presidency of the Spanish Government”. On the other hand, according to the UJI researcher, the politicians who present a more natural strategic staging on Instagram are Inés Arrimadas, from Ciudadanos, and Carles Puigdemont (PDeCAT).

The Journalism, Communication and Power research group is directed by professor Andreu Casero. Their priority study lines are specialized journalism in diverse subjects, especially in the political sphere and in the new digital paradigm, as well as new journalistic formats in the treatment of reality. Specifically, Pablo López-Rabadán works on the digital transformation of specialized journalism and the impact of social networks on political communication. In recent years, he has published in journals such as *American Behavioral Scientist*, *Journalism* or *Estudios sobre el mensaje periodístico*, among others. On his behalf, Hugo Doménech-Fabregat, director of the Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, focuses his study on photojournalism and journalistic genres in their adaptation to the digital environment. He has co-directed the documentary *La sombra del iceberg. Autopsia a la mítica fotografía de Robert Capa* (2007) awarded in several national and international festivals.

More information:

**López-Rabadán, Pablo**; **Dom****énech-Fabregat, Hugo** (2018). «Instagram y la espectacularización de las crisis políticas. Las 5W de la imagen digital en el proceso independentista de Cataluña». *El profesional de la información*, v. 27, n. 5, pp. 1013-1029

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