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

ABSTRACT

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.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronic word-of-mouth communication
• Generation Z
• Instagram
• political personalization

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John H. Parmelee

John H. Parmelee, PhD, is a professor and director of the School of Communication at the University of North Florida. Academic research interests include how technology impacts political communication. His research is in journals such as Political Communication, New Media & Society, Journalism Studies, Social Media + Society, Newspaper Research Journal, Communication Quarterly, and the Journal of Mixed Methods Research. He is the co-author of Politics and the Twitter Revolution. [email: [email protected]].

Stephynie C. Perkins

Stephynie C. Perkins, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Communication at the University of North Florida. Her research examines political communication and framing. She has been published in Public Relations Review and Studies in Symbolic Interaction. [email: [email protected]].

Berrin Beasley

Berrin Beasley, PhD, is a professor in the School of Communication at the University of North Florida. Her research interests include social media, media ethics, and gender in the media, and her research has been published in the Newspaper Research Journal, Mass Communication and Society, Journal of Radio Studies, ASJMC’s Insights, Electronic News, Journalism Studies, and the European Journal of Communication. She’s co-editor of the books Social Media and the Value of Truth and Social Media and Living Well. [email: [email protected]].