The previous day of the Spanish election in Twitter. Analysis of the member of the Parliament 2.0 in the IX Legislature during the 19th of November

Abstract

Although the new technologies have changed the ways in which election campaigns are conducted, Spanish law regarding the observance of a 24-hour election silence period prior to elections remains the same (Rubio, 2011). Legislation governing this period, which is referred to in Spain as ‘the day of reflection’, fails to take digital media into account, a grave omission given the speed of communication and the viral potential of social networks. This study analyses tweets posted by Spanish politicians during the mandatory quiet period leading up to the November 20, 2011 general elections. The starting hypothesis for this study was that Spanish politicians used Twitter to flout the spirit of the outdated law, which does not address the use of digital media. Findings of an analysis of the November 19, 2011 Twitter activity of prominent Spanish politicians show that some did not respect the ban on electioneering and tweeted electoral messages during this period.