The use of Instagram as a political communication channel by Spanish deputies: The humanization strategy in the “old” and the “new” politics

This work analyzes the use of the social network Instagram by Spanish deputies in the present legislature (initiated in 2016), and pays special attention to the management of the posts and the possible strategies of humanization developed in that eminently visual media. A content analysis was carried out, complemented by a qualitative analysis; this allowed to address several aspects, such as the degree of use by the deputies, the representation of space, the degrees of intimacy, and the style of communication. It was found that the use of Instagram played with the illusion of closeness and access to private and intimate aspects of the deputies’ lives, and above all, Instagram showed them as common people. Deputies’ usage revealed a conventional aspect of Instagram —the social network holds great possibilities for political communicatio