Mobilization, equalization, and populist rhetoric on Facebook. Presidential campaigns in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Peru

Purpose. Western democracies have witnessed the emergence of political actors who have gained power through innovative digital mobilization strategies and populist campaign narratives. This study aims to provide an analytical description of the digital communication strategies used by both new and established political actors on Facebook, and to assess the prevalence of populist rhetoric during the most recent presidential elections in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. Methodology. A dataset of 2,930 Facebook posts published by candidates and parties during the presidential campaigns was analyzed for the purposes of cross-national comparison. The comparative content analysis was guided by the analytical frameworks developed by the Campaigning for Strasbourg project. Results and conclusions. The findings indicate a trend toward more intensive use of Facebook by new political contenders. The data suggest that populist rhetoric is present across all analyzed campaigns, although it appears more frequently in the social media discourse of opposition parties. At the national level, Colombia stands out as the country where populist discourse and negative campaigning are particularly prevalent. Original contributions. Most existing research on political actors’ use of Facebook and the prevalence of populist rhetoric during electoral campaigns has focused on the United States and Europe. This study contributes to the literature by extending this analysis to South America. The comparative content analysis facilitated the identification of notable differences in the use of Facebook and populist rhetoric, while also revealing specific patterns at both the party and country levels.