Twitter and the 2013 Australian ElectionAssoc. Prof. Axel Bruns

ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation

Queensland University of Technology

a.bruns@qut.edu.au – @snurb_dot_info – http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

BACKGROUND

• Research projects:– ARC Discovery: New Media and Public Communication (QUT)– NRC FRISAM: Impact of Social Media on Agenda-Setting in Election

Campaigns (QUT, UiO, UiB, Uppsala, CSU LB)– ATN-DAAD: Mapping Networked Politics (QUT, LMU)

• Study design:– Comparative study of Twitter usage during Australian, Norwegian,

German (and US) election– Tracking tweets from and at Twitter accounts of MPs and candidates

before, during, and after election campaigns– Additional analysis of follower networks, national Twitterspheres, social

media / mainstream media intersections, etc.

AUSTRALIAN POLITICIANS ON TWITTER

(data to June 2013)

@TONYABBOTTMHR’S FAKE FOLLOWERS

(11/12 Aug. 2013)

@MENTIONS OF LEADERS (@REPLIES + RETWEETS)

RETWEETS OF LEADERS

@MENTIONS OF LEADERS

@MENTIONS OF PARTY CANDIDATES(@KRUDDMP AND @TONYABBOTTMHR REMOVED)

@MENTIONS

RETWEETS

@MENTIONS BETWEEN POLITICIANS

RETWEETS BETWEEN POLITICIANS

TWEETS BY LEADERS

TWEETS BY PARTY CANDIDATES

TWEETS BY LOCAL CANDIDATES

@MENTIONS OF LOCAL CANDIDATES

@MENTIONS (ELECTION DAY)

GERMANY

@MENTIONS OF LEADERS

(@KRuddMP: 172,000 @mentions)

@MENTIONS OF PARTY CANDIDATES

(ALP: 321,000 @mentions)

TWEETS BY PARTY CANDIDATES

(ALP: 16,600 tweets)

http://mappingonlinepublics.net/@snurb_dot_info

@jeanburgess

@dpwoodford

@lena_sauter

@timhighfield

@_StephenH

@quods

@socialmediaQUT