Abstract
Chapter 15: The study analyses the visual communication styles performed by the main Italian leaders on Instagram during the first year of Covid-19 pandemic. Through the analysis of both textual and visual elements we have identified six visual communication styles and their adoption by leaders according to their degree of populism. Drawing upon the framework of 'actor connectivity' (Ekman & Widholm, 2014, 2017), we identified which subjects are depicted by political leaders to understand the main differences between populist and non-populist politicians. Our results show that leaders visual strategies polarise between government parties and bold populists. Moreover, bold populist leaders' visual communication does not rely on the depiction of people, but it appeared more focused on negative campaigning against the élites and ostracising the 'dangerous others'. Other leaders mainly used Instagram to represent their professional activities ranging from public engaged to information broadcasters, together with ordinary citizens or several categories of elites.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
