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Social Media and the Behavior of Politicians: Evidence from Facebook in Brazil

Author

Listed:
  • Pedro Bessone
  • Filipe R. Campante
  • Claudio Ferraz
  • Pedro Souza

Abstract

We study the relationship between the spread of social media platforms and the communication and responsiveness of politicians towards voters, in the context of the expansion of Facebook in Brazil. We use self-collected data on the universe of Facebook activities by federal legislators and the variation in access induced by the spread of the 3G mobile phone network to establish three sets of findings: (i) Politicians use social media extensively to communicate with constituents, finely targeting localities while addressing policy-relevant topics; (ii) They increase their online engagement, especially with places where they have a large pre-existing vote share; but (iii) They shift their offline engagement (measured by speeches and earmarked transfers) away from connected municipalities within their base of support. Our results suggest that, rather than increasing responsiveness, social media may enable politicians to solidify their position with core supporters using communication strategies, while shifting resources away towards localities that lag in social media presence.

Suggested Citation

  • Pedro Bessone & Filipe R. Campante & Claudio Ferraz & Pedro Souza, 2022. "Social Media and the Behavior of Politicians: Evidence from Facebook in Brazil," NBER Working Papers 30306, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:30306
    Note: POL
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    Cited by:

    1. Boken, Johannes & Draca. Mirko & Mastrorocco, Nicola & Ornaghi, Arianna, 2023. "The Returns to Viral Media : The Case of US Campaign Contributions," The Warwick Economics Research Paper Series (TWERPS) 1472, University of Warwick, Department of Economics.
    2. Sabatini, Fabio, 2023. "The Behavioral, Economic, and Political Impact of the Internet and Social Media: Empirical Challenges and Approaches," IZA Discussion Papers 16703, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).

    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
    • H72 - Public Economics - - State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations - - - State and Local Budget and Expenditures
    • L86 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
    • L96 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Transportation and Utilities - - - Telecommunications

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