An Exploratory Study of Online Political Communication in Puerto Rico: The Case of the 2012 General Elections

• In Event: The Influence of the Mass Media in the Politics and Identity of Puerto Rico

Abstract

Despite the Internet's growing importance as a platform for political communication and participation throughout the world, there is very little research on its impact on Puerto Rican politics and elections. This is puzzling given Puerto Rico’s close political, economic, and sociocultural ties with the United States. Research on US political campaigns suggests that the Internet is mostly used to mobilize partisans rather than persuade independent or undecided voters. Some scholars also argue that, far from democratizing political participation, online campaigns reproduce top-down political communication and mobilization approaches. Given Puerto Rico’s status as a self-governing, incorporated territory of the US, are these findings and arguments valid in the context of Puerto Rican electoral campaigns? Or does Puerto Rico’s unique political culture lead its political parties and politicians to use the Internet differently? This study will use the 2012 general election in Puerto Rico to explore these and related questions. A dataset consisting of archived web pages, Twitter feeds, Facebook pages, and mass emails from the island's three major political parties (New Progressive Party, Popular Democratic Party, and Puerto Rican Independence Party), and its respective 2012 gubernatorial candidates (Luis Fortuño, Alejandro Garcia Padilla, and Juan Dalmau), will be analyzed to determine whether their rhetoric and action repertoires favor mobilization or persuasion, and whether they reflect broadly participatory or command-and-control campaign approaches. Implications for the future of Puerto Rican online political communication research will be discussed.

Author

• Luis E Hestres, The University of Texas at San Antonio