Personalization of politicians on Instagram: what Generation Z wants to see in political posts

While research has examined how politicians engage in personalized presentations of themselves and their policies, and how journalists personalize political coverage, few studies have asked voters what types of personalization they wish to see from politicians. In-depth interviews with Generation Z, who heavily use Instagram, identify visual and verbal elements of politicians’ Instagram posts that they consider influential on their beliefs and actions. Responses reveal several elements, including two that expand the contours of what constitutes persuasive political personalization. Successful personalization includes politicians participating in two-way conversations with followers and adopting a backstage pass aesthetic when showing what politicians do on the job and how they feel about it. Both tactics can make politicians seem credible and personally relatable, which is the foundation for effective electronic word-of-mouth communication

From fiction to reality: Presidential framing in the Ukrainian comedy Servant of the People

This study examines presidential framing in the Ukrainian sitcom Servant of the People, which may have helped Ukrainian comedian and political novice Volodymyr Zelenskyy win the presidency in 2019. Building upon research into fictional framing and political satire verite, this study analyzes the roles and character traits of Vasiliy Goloborodko, a fictional Ukrainian president played by Zelenskyy. The findings expand framing theory to include fictional political leaders in sitcoms

Comparing Interactivity on Twitter by Political Reporters at TV Networks, Online-Only News Websites, and Newspapers

Although the public regularly attempts to interact with reporters on Twitter, it is not clear to what extent reporters at various types of news outlets engage with citizens, politicians, and other users on the microblog. To find out, a content analysis was conducted on 4,500 tweets during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign from political reporters at TV networks/cable news, online-only news websites, and large newspapers. Findings indicate significant differences in Twitter interactivity by news outlet type, with TV political reporters most likely to interact with politicians and online-only political reporters most likely to interact with citizens. However, interactivity was generally low except with fellow journalists, which supports the normalization hypothesis

Gender and Generational Differences in Political Reporters’ Interactivity on Twitter

A content analysis of US political reporters examines how journalists’ age and gender influence their interactivity on Twitter with citizens, politicians, organizations, and fellow journalists. Findings contribute to the concept of normalization, which suggests that journalists do not take advantage of new technology’s engagement opportunities. Male political reporters were nearly twice as likely as female reporters to engage in the most genuine form of interactivity, and Generation X reporters were far more involved than Millennials in having back-and-forth conversations with citizens. The results show the degree to which journalistic normalization of Twitter depends on the gender and generation of the reporters involved