Party platform: disintermediated campaigning on Facebook in three UK general elections

Walsh, Matt and Singer, Jane B. 2023. Party platform: disintermediated campaigning on Facebook in three UK general elections. Presented at: 9th Annual Conference of the International Journal of Press/Politics, University of Edinburgh, 12-13 October 2023.

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Abstract

This paper explores the use of Facebook as a campaign tool in the UK General Elections of 2015, 2017, and 2019. Through a content analysis of the Facebook accounts of British political parties and their leaders, plus interviews with key political journalists and communications specialists, it demonstrates increasing sophistication in political actors’ use of Facebook as a disintermediation device, bypassing the media to speak directly to voters. This study aims to document the evolution of political communication on Facebook along with its impact on the nation’s political journalism. Drawing on content analysis of political Facebook accounts plus semi-structured interviews, it documents the changing strategies employed to reach and engage voters through social media and their implications for journalists’ gatekeeping role. All data have been collected and analysed. Preliminary findings indicate increasing sophistication in political actors’ use of Facebook as a disintermediation device, with campaigners effectively side-lining journalists to engage and motivate voters directly. Campaigners’ overall strategy was to use social media to encourage engagement that would generate message spillover, from those actively engaged in politics to those less interested. Political campaigners saw a value in bypassing journalists to speak directly to supporters and, by extension, other potential voters – essentially seeking to replace journalistic gatekeepers with social media influencers. Journalists, for their part, worried about the potential for unverified information to flow unchecked. The lack of substantive policy discussion on social media was also troubling, and both groups of interviewees raised concerns about journalists being more focused on gossip than investigation. Ongoing social media developments and the skyrocketing use of AI will undoubtedly shape the next UK election. Parties seem certain to continue escalating their disintermediation strategies. How journalists respond will be of considerable importance and a topic ripe for additional scholarly exploration.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Journalism, Media and Culture
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Disintermediation, Facebook, Social Media, General Elections, political journalism
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	29 November 2023
Date of Acceptance:	2023
Last Modified:	01 Dec 2023 10:30
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/164450

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