The impact of Politics 2.0 in Spanish social media: Tracking conversations around audiovisual political wars JM Noguera Bea Correyero UCAM, Spain

Introduction 2004 - 2005 2007 “ Blog” is year´s word according Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2004). The next year there is a clear expansion of the phenomenon Video´s year

Objectives  Explain the candidates’ use of technology and how much, or little, they are achieving online  Analyse the impact of the videos produced by the parties on Youtube Track the way of travelling that realize this political videos around the blogs Explain these “tours” around the Blogosphere trying to find “tipping points” ( Do the big nodes import in the social networks? )

 Explain the candidates’ use of technology and how much, or little, they are achieving online

 Analyse the impact of the videos produced by the parties on Youtube

Track the way of travelling that realize this political videos around the blogs

Explain these “tours” around the Blogosphere trying to find “tipping points” ( Do the big nodes import in the social networks? )

The context Spanish pre-electoral campaign for the elections 9th March 2008 (2007) Spanish parties starting to use video on their pages or on YouTube, to create states of opinion - to gain and maintain political and media attention - to fight against political apathy of the citizens expressed especially in the low indexes of electoral participation  Entertainment What is the social impact of this phenomenon through the analysis of the blog discussion related to these videos

Spanish pre-electoral campaign

for the elections 9th March 2008

(2007) Spanish parties starting to use video on their pages or on YouTube,

to create states of opinion

- to gain and maintain political and media attention

- to fight against political apathy of the citizens expressed especially in the low indexes of electoral participation  Entertainment

What is the social impact of this phenomenon through the analysis of the blog discussion related to these videos

Spanish political apathy Source: Special EUROBAROMETER 282. SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH IN THE MEDIA. December 2007

Features ot Modern Political Campaigns Videocracy Videopolitic Buzz Marketing Permanent Campaign

Electoral Campaign in Spain - Political Spanish parties have taken as a starting point: - United States presidential elections, 2008 - Recent presidential elections in Europe (UK and France) - Use of the new technologies in the electoral strategies - Campaigns demonstrate a clear consensus that the rise of Web 2.0 tools offers the chance to engage interested citizens - Crowdsourcing

- Political Spanish parties have taken as a starting point:

- United States presidential elections, 2008

- Recent presidential elections in Europe (UK and France)

- Use of the new technologies in the electoral strategies

- Campaigns demonstrate a clear consensus that the rise of Web 2.0 tools offers the chance to engage interested citizens

- Crowdsourcing

PP’s electoral campaign and use of technology Motives for believing Since June 14, 2006 Videos Watched: 368 Subscribers: 1,135 Channel Views: 75,017 Vídeo presentation - When he speech says something - Defends his adversaries . No generates tension - Recognizes his errors

Since June 14, 2006

Videos Watched: 368

Subscribers: 1,135

Channel Views: 75,017

Vídeo presentation

- When he speech says something

- Defends his adversaries

. No generates tension

- Recognizes his errors

PSOE’s electoral campaign and use of technology With rajoy is possible Since September 02, 2006. Videos Watched: 589 Subscribers: 1,196 Channel Views: 133,607 With Rajoy is possible: - To come in order month - Lower the taxes - Eliminate the digital canon

Since September 02, 2006.

Videos Watched: 589

Subscribers: 1,196

Channel Views: 133,607

With Rajoy is possible:

- To come in order month

- Lower the taxes

- Eliminate the digital canon

IU’s electoral campaign and use of technology I have an answer for you Since: June 26, 2006 Videos watches: 15 Subscribers: 223

The context: The Ubiquitous Campaign 2.0 Zapatero 2008

The context: Mass Media and Electoral Campaign Webs to report of the details of the elections Humor

Why this video´s war - The video format opens the door for originality and spontaneity Yes we can - Visual images can be more powerful than words The videos have the potential to elicit emotional responses from the candidates and frame the election in new ways - Candidates had to heard people talking to each other and to the campaigns - Videos can be uploaded, distributed and edited by anyone online

- The video format opens the door for originality and spontaneity Yes we can

- Visual images can be more powerful than words

The videos have the potential to elicit emotional responses from the candidates and frame the election in new ways

- Candidates had to heard people talking to each other and to the campaigns

- Videos can be uploaded, distributed and edited by anyone online

Methodology Track the most watched videos of each political party on Youtube (At same time) Track the most relevant Spanish political blogs according several rankings Get tagclouds of contents in these blogs Get the average of Technorati reactions of each political video in first weeks Get the average of Technorati authority in reactions of each video Track the influence of important Spanish political blogs in the graphics Is there any visible influence?

Track the most watched videos of each political party on Youtube

(At same time)

Track the most relevant Spanish political blogs according several rankings

Get tagclouds of contents in these blogs

Get the average of Technorati reactions of each political video in first weeks

Get the average of Technorati authority in reactions of each video

Track the influence of important Spanish political blogs in the graphics

Is there any visible influence?

Methodology. Sample of blogs and tagclouds: Alianzo, Wikio, 86400 and Compareblogs are the selected rankings Blogs of politicians (Alianzo), RSS subscribers (Compareblogs), users and journalists The presence of PP politicians in rankings top is normally less than 10% Finally, 15 blogs selected. 10 of politicians and 5 of users/journalists: Escolar (Technorati: value 1.701, position 970) Periodistas21 (Technorati: value 611, position 5.892) NetoRatón 2.0 (Technorati: value 367, position 12.629) Guerra Eterna (Technorati: value 337, position 14.381) La Huella Digital (Technorati: value 312, position 15.935) Tagclouds as a little proposal of content analysis: (ZoomClouds) Examples: US Presidential Speeches http://chir.ag/phernalia/preztags/

Alianzo, Wikio, 86400 and Compareblogs are the selected rankings

Blogs of politicians (Alianzo), RSS subscribers (Compareblogs), users and journalists

The presence of PP politicians in rankings top is normally less than 10%

Finally, 15 blogs selected. 10 of politicians and 5 of users/journalists:

General context: The need to track the demand of information in an age of excess of information and producers From general to particular items (Party / Politicians / Videos / Blogs…):

General context: The need to track the demand of information in an age of excess of information and producers From general to particular items (Party / Politicians / Videos / Blogs…) Also we have metaphors trying show us “tours of information”: “ The Life Cycle of a Blog Post…”, Wired

Technorati reactions

Technorati authority There is no an increase after the appearance of the bigger authorities

Reactions and Authority The moments with more reactions do not come after the appearances with more authority

Technorati reactions

Technorati authority The bigger falls come after the bigger tops. There is no regularity and there is no constant increase of authority

Reactions and Authority The moments with more reactions do not come after the appearances with more authority

General conclusions Spanish electoral campaing imitate don’t innovate Interes in reporting on the strategies of campaign and his design phenomenon that is known as metacoverage Through the videos, the party... - expresses it points of view, - exhibit it proposals and especially, - discredits the political adversaries Parties keep desing campaigns thinking in traditional mass media Generate the necessary polemic so that the video was turning into news and jump to the informative programs The campaign 2.0 is not about talk each other or using technology or a nice video in Youtube, it is a question of a fundamental change in the tone and the character of the political conversation The most effective way to pitch an idea is ... mass marketing

Spanish electoral campaing imitate don’t innovate

Interes in reporting on the strategies of campaign and his design phenomenon that is known as metacoverage

Through the videos, the party...

- expresses it points of view,

- exhibit it proposals and especially,

- discredits the political adversaries

Parties keep desing campaigns thinking in traditional mass media

Generate the necessary polemic so that the video was turning into news and jump to the informative programs

The campaign 2.0 is not about talk each other or using technology or a nice video in Youtube, it is a question of a fundamental change in the tone and the character of the political conversation

The most effective way to pitch an idea is ... mass marketing

Conclusions related to Blogosphere and social networks The travel of videos in Blogosphere is more related to power of nets than the power of rankings Presence of important nodes (according to “authority”) are not relevant in the online conversation Big nodes (rankings) are an echo, not a reason of visibility Do we really have political “tipping points” in the Spanish Blogosphere? May be NO. We overvalue the influence of the big nodes related to WHAT and WHEN about the messages The power is in the interconnected clusters Feevy´s map of Blogosphere VS Tyranny of rankings (“sea of flowers” –De Ugarte-)

The travel of videos in Blogosphere is more related to power of nets than the power of rankings

Presence of important nodes (according to “authority”) are not relevant in the online conversation

Big nodes (rankings) are an echo, not a reason of visibility

Do we really have political “tipping points” in the Spanish Blogosphere? May be NO.

We overvalue the influence of the big nodes related to WHAT and WHEN about the messages

The power is in the interconnected clusters