'Win a sweater with the PM'S face on it' - A longitudinal study of Norwegian party Facebook engagement strategies

• Published in: Information, communication & society communication & society, 2023-05, Vol.26 (7), p.1322-1341
• Main Author: Larsson, Anders Olof
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: facebook; Gamification; interactivity; Internet; Longitudinal studies; Political communication; Political parties; Quizzes; social media; Social networks; Supporters; User generated content
• ISSN: 1369-118X; 1468-4462
• DOI: 10.1080/1369118X.2021.2006743

Receiving Facebook post engagement - such as likes, comments and shares - is crucial in order to succeed online, perhaps especially for political actors. However, online engagement can also be hazardous, as it potentially strips the original poster of control over their messages. Previous work has shown that political actors have been rather unwilling to encourage interaction from their online supporters. However, research has also indicated a need to assess the influence of Facebook in this regard. Building on the theory of controlled interactivity, the study presented here details what is referred to as Facebook engagement strategies among Norwegian political parties on Facebook between 2009 and 2019. Combining quantitative and qualitative approaches in order to compare party and follower activity in relation to the aforementioned engagement varieties, the main findings indicate that parties and followers do not necessarily seek to interact at the same time. Furthermore, tendencies towards gamification, where parties direct user attention towards online quizzes and raffles instead of towards deliberation and political discussion, can be discerned.