Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Out of Office: A Quantitative Content Analysis of Swedish Party Leaders' Use of Personalization on Instagram

Birol, Anna LU and Lindell, Jacob (2024) SKOK11 20241
Department of Strategic Communication
Abstract
This study explores the use of personalization on social media by Swedish politicians and its correlation with engagement levels. A quantitative content analysis was conducted using data from the Instagram accounts of three prominent Swedish party leaders—Ulf Kristersson, Magdalena Andersson, and Jimmie Åkesson—collected over a two-year period (2021-2023), with a sample size of 1,287 posts. The study aimed to determine if personalized content is more frequently posted than non-personalized content, if the proportion of personalized content increases closer to elections, and if personalized content generates higher engagement from online audiences. The results revealed that Swedish politicians prioritize party-related content over personal... (More)
This study explores the use of personalization on social media by Swedish politicians and its correlation with engagement levels. A quantitative content analysis was conducted using data from the Instagram accounts of three prominent Swedish party leaders—Ulf Kristersson, Magdalena Andersson, and Jimmie Åkesson—collected over a two-year period (2021-2023), with a sample size of 1,287 posts. The study aimed to determine if personalized content is more frequently posted than non-personalized content, if the proportion of personalized content increases closer to elections, and if personalized content generates higher engagement from online audiences. The results revealed that Swedish politicians prioritize party-related content over personal content on Instagram, contradicting previous expectations. Although personalized content received higher engagement, the politicians predominantly shared non-personalized content. These findings enhance the understanding of how politicians use social media to engage with their audiences and provide insights into the types of content that their audiences on social media prefer. Furthermore, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how politicians navigate social media to communicate with their audience and shape public opinion online. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Denna studie utforskar användningen av personalisering på sociala medier av svenska politiker och vilken påverkan det har mätt på engagemang. En kvantitativ innehållsanalys genomfördes med hjälp av data från Instagram-kontona av tre framstående svenska partiledare—Ulf Kristersson, Magdalena Andersson och Jimmie Åkesson—samlad över en tvåårsperiod (2021-2023), med ett urval på 1 287 inlägg. Studien syftade till att avgöra om personaliserat innehåll publiceras oftare än icke-personaliserat innehåll, om andelen personaliserat innehåll ökar närmare val och om personaliserat innehåll genererar mer engagemang från deras publik på sociala medier. Resultaten av denna studie visade att svenska politiker prioriterar parti-relaterat innehåll över... (More)
Denna studie utforskar användningen av personalisering på sociala medier av svenska politiker och vilken påverkan det har mätt på engagemang. En kvantitativ innehållsanalys genomfördes med hjälp av data från Instagram-kontona av tre framstående svenska partiledare—Ulf Kristersson, Magdalena Andersson och Jimmie Åkesson—samlad över en tvåårsperiod (2021-2023), med ett urval på 1 287 inlägg. Studien syftade till att avgöra om personaliserat innehåll publiceras oftare än icke-personaliserat innehåll, om andelen personaliserat innehåll ökar närmare val och om personaliserat innehåll genererar mer engagemang från deras publik på sociala medier. Resultaten av denna studie visade att svenska politiker prioriterar parti-relaterat innehåll över personligt innehåll på Instagram, vilket motsäger tidigare förväntningar. Även om personaliserat innehåll fick högre engagemang delade politikerna övervägande icke-personaliserat innehåll. Dessa fynd bidrar till en ökad förståelse av hur politiker använder sociala medier för att engagera sig med sin publik och fördjupade insikter i vilka typer av innehåll politiska målgrupper föredrar på sociala medier. Dessutom bidrar studien till en djupare förståelse av hur politiker navigerar sociala medier för att kommunicera med sin publik och forma den allmänna opinionen digitalt. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Birol, Anna LU and Lindell, Jacob
supervisor
organization
course
SKOK11 20241
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Personalization, privatization, political communication, visual communication, Swedish politicians, social media, Instagram, online engagement, likes, quantitative content analysis
language
English
id
9154544
date added to LUP
2024-06-19 14:30:04
date last changed
2024-06-19 14:30:04
@misc{9154544,
  abstract     = {{This study explores the use of personalization on social media by Swedish politicians and its correlation with engagement levels. A quantitative content analysis was conducted using data from the Instagram accounts of three prominent Swedish party leaders—Ulf Kristersson, Magdalena Andersson, and Jimmie Åkesson—collected over a two-year period (2021-2023), with a sample size of 1,287 posts. The study aimed to determine if personalized content is more frequently posted than non-personalized content, if the proportion of personalized content increases closer to elections, and if personalized content generates higher engagement from online audiences. The results revealed that Swedish politicians prioritize party-related content over personal content on Instagram, contradicting previous expectations. Although personalized content received higher engagement, the politicians predominantly shared non-personalized content. These findings enhance the understanding of how politicians use social media to engage with their audiences and provide insights into the types of content that their audiences on social media prefer. Furthermore, the study contributes to a deeper understanding of how politicians navigate social media to communicate with their audience and shape public opinion online.}},
  author       = {{Birol, Anna and Lindell, Jacob}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Out of Office: A Quantitative Content Analysis of Swedish Party Leaders' Use of Personalization on Instagram}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}