Impact of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram on Chilean constitutional campaigns

Abstract

Given the prominent role that social media has acquired in political communication, this study aimed to explore its potential political impact. By analyzing over one million communications made by 44 candidates from District 10 in the 2021 Chilean constituent election, and applying statistical tools, it was concluded that Facebook and Instagram play a significant role in campaigns and even show a directly proportional correlation with the number of votes. In contrast, Twitter shows no evidence of influence. These results are preliminary; however, they highlight the need to further explore causal relationships between social media and politics.