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

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26441/RC24.2-2025-3937

Keywords:

Political communication, Facebook, election, South America, mobilization, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Peru

Abstract

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.

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Author Biographies

Vicente Fenoll, Universidad de Valencia (Spain)

Ph.D. in Communication and Bachelor in Audiovisual Communication from the Universidad de Valencia, where he serves as a professor in the Department of Language Theory and Communication Sciences. He is a member of the research groups DigiWorld, CamforS, and MediaFlows. His research interests include populism, polarization, social media, political communication, and disinformation. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5851-4237, vicente.fenoll@uv.es

Percy Peña-Vicuña, Universidad Católica del Norte (Chile)

Ph.D. and Master’s Degree in Education from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, and Master’s Degree in Communication and Education from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Faculty member at the Faculty of Humanities, Universidad Católica del Norte. His research interests include political populism in the context of social media, disinformation and political polarization, media repertoires, and media literacy. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4997-547X, ppenav@ucn.cl

Alejandro Sánchez-López-de-Mesa, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali (Colombia)

Political scientist, Master’s Degree in Political Studies from the Institute of Political Studies and International Relations of the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Assistant Professor in the Department of Legal and Political Science, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali. His research focuses on political parties and other organizations that compete for votes at the national and subnational levels, elections, and armed conflict. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6497-8233, alejandrosl@javerianacali.edu.co

Adriana Rodríguez-Sánchez, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali (Colombia)

Ph.D. in Social Science Studies from the Western Institute of Technology and Higher Education- ITESO (México). Associate Professor in the Department of Communication and Language at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali. Her research interests include audience analysis, disinformation, and hate speech in political contexts. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8879-7381, adrianarodriguez@javerianacali.edu.co

Mathias-Felipe de-Lima-Santos, Macquarie University (Australia)

Ph.D. in Communication from the Universidad de Navarra (Spain) and a dual Master's Degree in Media Management from Aalborg University (Denmark) and the University of Salzburg (Austria). He is a Lecturer in Multiplatform Journalism at Macquarie University (Australia), and a Researcher with the Political Communication, Journalism and Democracy Research Group (POLCOM-GRP) at Pompeu Fabra University (Spain) and an Associate Researcher with the Digital Media and Society Observatory (DMSO) at the Federal University of São Paulo (Unifesp), Brazil. His research interests encompass the evolving nature of communication, particularly as influenced by technological innovations in journalism, media, and social networks. https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8879-7381, mathias.felipe@mq.edu.au

Pamela Romero-Lizama, Universidad de Playa Ancha (Chile)

Ph.D. in Human Sciences and Master’s Degree in Communication from the Universidad Austral (Chile). She is a faculty member in the Department of Mediations and Subjectivities at the Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad de Playa Ancha, and a researcher at the Psychosocial Observatory in Emergency Situations (Chile). Her research focuses on critical discourse analysis, gender equity, interculturality, and social movements. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0191-128X, pamela.romero@upla.cl

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2025-09-03

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Fenoll, V., Peña-Vicuña, P. ., Sánchez-López-de-Mesa, A. ., Rodríguez-Sánchez, A. ., de-Lima-Santos, M.-F. ., & Romero-Lizama, P. . (2025). Mobilization, equalization, and populist rhetoric on Facebook. Presidential campaigns in Brazil, Colombia, Chile, and Peru. Revista De Comunicación, 24(2), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.26441/RC24.2-2025-3937

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