Socially mediated issue ownership

Linn Sandberg

doi:10.1515/commun-2020-0020

Abstract

Abstract Given the growing importance of issue competition and the growing use of social media during elections, this study seeks to create a better understanding of how issue dynamics relating to political parties play out on social media. It tests whether issue ownership theory can explain how parties and issues are being discussed on Twitter and to what extent a mediated form of issue ownership aligns with citizens’ perceptions of issue ownership. The results indicate that perceptions of issue ownership as measured in representative surveys correlate with variations of what issues parties are linked with on Twitter. Some deviations also emerged, which possibly reflect short-term changes in parties’ issue competition. Understanding how issue ownership mediates through social media platforms is important in order to evaluate the role of social media in contemporary opinion forming processes and sheds light on the issue competition among political parties in online fora.

Highlights

Party politics in Western Europe has become issue-based, which implies an increased focus on how parties present their policy views in the media (Green-Pedersen, 2019)
The Sweden Democrats’ electoral gains in the 2010 and 2014 elections are likely explained by the increased salience of the immigration issue
On Twitter, this association was present, and the results show a strong correlation between issue ownership in the survey and on Twitter regarding environmental issues

Summary

Introduction

Party politics in Western Europe has become issue-based, which implies an increased focus on how parties present their policy views in the media (Green-Pedersen, 2019). Mass media coverage determines perceptions of issue salience to a large extent (agenda setting), and influences the perceived link between parties and certain issues, in relation to the dynamics of short-term issue ownership (Page and Shapiro, 1992; Thesen, Green-Pedersen, and Mortensen, 2017; Walgrave and De Swert, 2007).

Results

Conclusion