Twitter/X in the 2021 presidential campaign in Ecuador: digital interactions and their projection in the political polarization of the following campaigns
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Estefanía Luzuriaga Uribe
eluzuriaga@casagrande.edu.ec
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Gabriela Baquerizo-Neira
gbaquerizo@uandes.cl
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DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56754/0718-4867.2025.3765Abstract
Introduction: The growing influence of digital platforms has transformed political communication. Twitter (now X) consolidated as a key tool during Ecuador's 2021 presidential election, marked by pandemic and economic crisis. This study is framed within digital political communication and analyzes the usability of Twitter/X as a campaign platform in an environment of increasing digitalization. Objectives: The strategic use of Twitter/X by presidential candidates was analyzed, focusing on the interaction, thematization and polarization of the electoral discourse. Methodology: The profiles and hashtags of the campaigns of Guillermo Lasso, Andrés Arauz, Yaku Pérez and Xavier Hervas were examined. Data mining techniques were applied with the Twitter/X API, and the data were extracted in R. The sample includes 821,986 tweets. Content analysis and discourse analysis were combined. Results: Candidates showed high usability of resources such as hashtags and visual content, focused on campaign activities, partisan messages and self-promotion. Interaction was mainly directed to media, parties and co-identitarians. The networks were mostly structured around sympathizers of the same party. Discussion: Twitter/X is predominantly used as a channel for dissemination rather than interaction. Most avoid confrontations or dialogues with opponents, which reinforces echo chambers. Only cases such as Hervas adopt a more open strategy. Conclusions: Although Twitter/X offers direct contact with the electorate, its interactive potential is underutilized. More participatory strategies are needed.
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