Abstract
The Italian general election campaign of 4 March 2018 conducted on the Internet was the first completely digital one in its history. This chapter analyses the Facebook communication strategies and tactics adopted by the political leaders in the recent campaign. It investigates each of their characteristics and evaluates their effectiveness in terms of their capacity to create online engagement, to construct their messages, to emotionalise their content and to hybridise their campaign channels. The underlying hypothesis is that a new model of digital communication is emerging, one that is being exploited principally by Italy’s young, emerging leaders, namely Matteo Salvini (League), Luigi di Maio (Five-star Movement) and Giorgia Meloni (Brothers of Italy). Firstly, they are the leaders of new political parties; secondly, they present themselves as the leaders of post-ideological political forces; and, finally, they adopt a populist communication style. This hypothesis of an emerging model of strategic communication, more effective in terms of online engagement, is confirmed by many of the analytical dimensions considered.
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Notes
- 1.
The M5s was founded by Beppe Grillo and Gianroberto Casaleggio in 2009. FdI, a far-right party, was founded in 2012. The Lega Nord (Northern League, NL), on the other hand, is the oldest Italian political party, having been established in 1989. However, after Matteo Salvini took over as its leader, the Lega was subjected to a radical rebranding process that led to it being renamed as the Lega per Salvini Premier and thus to the party itself being transformed from an autonomist grouping rooted in the north to a nationalist-national sovereignty party. This was made clear by the party’s decision to stop using its traditional green as its symbolic colour and to adopt instead a dark blue as a way of underscoring its ideological repositioning within the camp of the national sovereignty right wing.
- 2.
In the Italian case, if not exactly data-driven then at least data-oriented.
- 3.
Salvini had 83% more ‘likes’ than the League; Berlusconi 82% more than FI; Meloni 80% more than FdI; Renzi 75% more than the PD; Grasso 64% more than LeU. The leadership effect was less pronounced, albeit still present, for Di Maio compared to the M5s: +30%.
- 4.
Adapting a classic typology set out by McLuhan (1964), the syntax of a post will be defined as ‘cold’ when it allows greater participation and involvement of the user in the reception process, typically through images and video. By contrast, the syntax of less interactive posts, in other words links and simple status updates, will be termed ‘warm’.
- 5.
The current government coalition is made up of the League and the M5s.
- 6.
This entails a continuous increase in the frequency of communication resulting in the greatest concentration occurring in the period leading up to the end of the campaign period.
- 7.
State subventions were abolished by Decree Law No. 149 of 28 December 2013, introduced by the former Prime Minister, Enrico Letta.
- 8.
The index is expressed as the ratio between the total number of posts published on a leader’s page and the average engagement of all the leaders under consideration. A Facebook page with an index of more than 1 can be considered effective.
- 9.
An outgoing deputy, charismatic figure and senior leader who represents the most radical wing of the M5s. Having completed a parliamentary term, he declined to seek re-election though he nevertheless played an important and visible role in the election campaign.
- 10.
Domenica Live, presented by the showgirl Barbara D’Urso, is the most important programme in the Sunday afternoon slot. It is broadcast by Canale5, the flagship channel of Mediaset, the broadcasting company owned by Silvio Berlusconi, and in the period under consideration had an average of 2,705,000 viewers (representing a 15% share) during the part of the programme dedicated to interviews with the leaders. During the episode of 14 January 2018, when Berlusconi was the guest, it reached 3.5 million viewers with a share of 21%. Che tempo che fa, presented by the anchor-man Fabio Fazio, is the most important programme in the early Sunday evening slot. It is broadcast by Rai1, the main channel on public TV (Rai), and in the period in question obtained an average of 4,741,000 viewers with an 18% share.
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Cepernich, C. (2019). Digital Campaigning: The Communication Strategies of the Leaders on Facebook. In: Ceccarini, L., Newell, J. (eds) The Italian General Election of 2018. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13617-8_10
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