The impact of political influencers on shaping public opinion and political participation on Instagram

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.12.23.3

Keywords:

influencers, political participation, digital persuasion, political communication

Abstract

With the establishment of social networks as a means of mass communication and the emergence and rise of influencers, politics is adding new channels and formulas for communication. The general objective of this study is to investigate the role of political influencers in shaping public opinion and political participation through social networks, specifically Instagram, analysing their communication strategies, the impact on their audiences and their influence on political debate. For this purpose, the profiles of relevant political influencers on Instagram Spain (N=25) were identified, and the 25 most recent fixed publications at the time of the extraction date of each of these profiles (n=625) were analysed through categories of analysis relating to the influencer's profile, content metrics and influencer metrics. The results of this research confirm that interactions (likes, shares, saves and comments) on the accounts of political influencers on Instagram constitute a relevant form of digital political mobilisation that can have direct repercussions in the participatory sphere. The fact that 5.58% of the audience interacts with these influencers not only indicates a high level of engagement, but also aligns with the gateway hypothesis (Kim et al., 2017), which postulates that online political participation can act as a catalyst for offline participation.

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Author Biographies

  • Maitane Palacios-López, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities

    Strategy & Insights Manager at Samy Alliance, an specialized Influencer Marketing Agency. Shed graduated in Journalism and Advertising and Public Relations from CEU San Pablo University. Master's Degree in Strategy and Creativity in Advertising from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. PhD student in Social Communication at the CEU International Doctorate School. Currently member of the project ‘Knowledge, attitudes and opinions of the Spanish population about Internet algorithms and the design of Critical Algorithmic Literacies (AlgorLit)’. She collaborates as a teacher in different masters related to the communication and influencer marketing sector.

  • Fernando Bonete-Vizcaíno, Universidad Nebrija

    PhD in Social Communication and professor accredited as a contracted doctorate (ANECA). He teaches as a lecturer and director of the Degree in Corporate Communication at Nebrija University. He is currently a member of the research project ‘Politainment ante la fragmentación mediática: desintermediación, engagement y polarización’ (PID2020-114193RB-I00) funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and of the research groups ‘Innovación en Comunicación y Medios’ (INNOMEDIA) at Nebrija University and ‘Investigación en Comunicación a través de la Imagen y el Diseño’ (ICOIDI) at CEU San Pablo University. He has previously been part of research projects for institutions and media such as the Digital Media Observatory of the European Commission, Atresmedia Corporación, RTVE, ZDF, France24 and Santander Universities.

  • Tamara Vázquez-Barrio, Universidad San Pablo-CEU, CEU Universities

    Associate Professor accredited by ANECA at the Universidad San Pablo CEU. Principal Investigator of the AlgorLit Project, Principal Investigator of the ThinkOnMedia Consolidated Research Group and head of NeuroLabCom, Neurotechnology Laboratory applied to Communication.
    Coordinator of the Doctoral Programme in Social Communication at the International Doctoral School CEINDO, Director of the Master in Corporate Communication, Politics and Lobbying and Scientific Editor of the Journal Doxa Comunicación.
    She has been awarded two six-year research fellowships by CNEAI. She has participated continuously in competitive projects of the Plan Nacional de I+D+I since 2004, being PI in two of them. Her research focuses on the uses, risks and opportunities of the Internet and social networks for young people and adolescents, media literacy and digital vulnerability. She develops a second line of study on digital political communication.

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Published

2025-02-28

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 23 (2025): Comunicación política y participación digital

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Thematic issue

How to Cite

The impact of political influencers on shaping public opinion and political participation on Instagram. (2025). Revista De La Asociación Española De Investigación De La Comunicación, 12(23), raeic122303. https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.12.23.3