How social media is changing political representation in the United Kingdom

McLoughlin, LDG

Abstract

Since the introduction of social media into everyday communication, a series of claims and
counterclaims have been made about its potential to either rectify or exacerbate the so-called
crisis within representative democracy. Theoretical arguments suggest that social media may
increase the closeness between representatives and citizens through more direct and
communicative forms of representation. Based on these assumptions, this thesis seeks to assess
the ways social media has changed the conduct of political representation in the United Kingdom.
It does this through an original methodological approach to answer research questions from the
perspective of MPs (interviews), citizens (surveys), and social media data from three social
networks. This approach goes past previous literature on the use of social media that does not
provide either multi-platform analysis or encapsulate data from citizens to offer a bottom-up
approach.

The results show that in many ways, MPs do not fully utilise Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to
their expected potential. They seldom seek interpersonal dialogue with citizens, with only
marginal increases in two-way communication attributable to social media. Instead, MPs are
pursuing a strategy of broadcasting, limiting interactions to citizens who display positive
sentiment towards the MP or their party: rejecting the notion that social media might foster the
concept of direct representation. Concurrently, the evidence suggests citizens might not be
seeking to interact with MPs, as only a limited number of participants pursued communication
with them. Instead, citizens seem to follow representatives for information gathering, news, or
to show support. This implies that the crisis within representative democracy cannot be overcome
by interactive communication platforms alone.

However, findings indicate that social media increases feelings of representation by citizens when
they follow MPs. From this, social media is found not to provide representative benefits in
expected ways, but as a communication platform for a process of informational convergence
which shapes the way citizens interpret the MPs they follow. This highlights a new way of
approaching the benefits of representative communication towards a model in which what MPs
post is of greater importance than levels of interactivity.

Keywords: Political Communication; Political Representation; Social Media; Deliberative Representation

Citation

McLoughlin, L. (in press). How social media is changing political representation in the United Kingdom. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Acceptance Date: Jan 23, 2020
• Deposit Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 8, 2020
• Additional Information: Projects : Pathways to Excellence studentship
• Award Date: Oct 1, 2019