Political elite social listening: How Portuguese MPs perceive their own motivations to join and use Twitter/X

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS18320242511

Abstract

Most studies on political actors’ use of Twitter focus on content and social network analysis, but not on their motivations and passive usage. We applied a questionnaire to a significant sample of 94 Members of Parliament (MPs), with a quota sample sized by political party representation in Parliament, to survey their motivations to have or not a Twitter account and their uses.

We concluded that MPs see Twitter mostly as a political tool unlike other social media platforms. The most common motivation to join and use Twitter is to read other politicians’ opinions which helps explain why the small Twitter adoption in Portugal does not deter its use as their peers and political elite is on the platform. That twitter elite can even be a motivator to join as their peer social capital is key to re-election in closed list-elections countries such as Portugal.

Author Biographies

Susana Santos, ISCTE-IUL

Susana Santos is a Research Fellow at CIES-IUL and an invited assistant at the Department of Sociology, ISCTE-IUL. She holds a PhD from ISCTE-IUL (2012). Since 2002, she has been working in several research projects in the fields of Sociology of Communication, Political Sociology and Sociology of Law. Co-coordinator of the thematic section of Sociology of Law and Justice from the Portuguese Sociological Association. Coopted member of the Board of the Research Committee in Sociology of Law (RCSL) from the International Sociological Association (ISA). Sub-director Post-Graduate program in Communication and Politics Advisory.

Gustavo Cardoso, ISCTE-IUL

Gustavo Cardoso is Full Professor of Sociology of Communication at ISCTE-IUL and a researcher at CIES. He is also an associate researcher at CADIS (Center d'Analyze et d'Interventions Sociologiques) in Paris and Director of OberCom in Lisbon. He is currently the director of the PhD in Communication Sciences and of three post-graduate programs in Communication at ISCTE-IUL, namely the Post-Graduate program in Journalism, the Post-Graduate program in Factchecking and disinformation, and the Post-Graduate program in Communication and Politics Advisory.

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Published

2024-09-28

How to Cite

Ferro-Santos, S., Santos, S., & Cardoso, G. (2024). Political elite social listening: How Portuguese MPs perceive their own motivations to join and use Twitter/X. Observatorio (OBS*), 18(3). https://doi.org/10.15847/obsOBS18320242511

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 3 (2024)

Section

Articles

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