Facebook use in Brazil’s 2014 presidential election: The influence of public opinion polls on online campaign strategies

Abstract

Brazil’s 2014 presidential election was the toughest race since the country’s redemocratization process. The competitive scenario captured by polls prompted candidates’ to rethink their campaigning strategies. This paper aims to analyze the role of digital media in Brazil’s 2014 presidential campaign by focusing on the influence of polling numbers on the candidates’ communication strategies on Facebook. By comparing the candidates’ messaging strategies during the race, this study analyzes how the competitive nature of the race affected the way the candidates used their Facebook accounts for campaigning. We are specifically interested in observing whether the candidates’ oscillation in the polls – and their positions in the race – had an effect on the use of attack messages and advocacy messages. Our results demonstrate that the candidates’ strategies changed during the race. However, their positions in the polls do not seem to influence their use of particular strategies. Our findings contribute to the field by bringing the broader context of the election to illuminate the analysis of the digital campaign. We also point to a reconfiguration of the roles of candidates and citizens in the ever changing context of digital campaigns.

Keywords: online campaigns, Facebook, 2014 elections.