With a prominent presence on Instagram and TikTok, André Fernandes reflects the phenomenon of digital influence in the Fortaleza campaign

By: FGV Comunicação Rio

By: FGV Comunicação Rio 

 

  • André Fernandes (PL) has a significantly higher engagement rate, accounting for 32.4% and 40.6% of total interactions across all networks, based on his profiles on Instagram and TikTok, respectively;
  • In Fortaleza, there is a balance between Instagram and TikTok in terms of interactions, which is an outlier in the national landscape of digital campaigns in capitals, where Instagram is dominant;
  • Direct confrontations between candidates, featuring attack jingles and subsequent defenses, were the strategy with the greatest reach in digital campaigns, particularly emphasizing short content on TikTok.

In Fortaleza, federal deputy and former YouTuber André Fernandes (PL) holds the highest engagement rates on Instagram and TikTok, utilizing an attack strategy against opponents that appeals to humor, along with posts where he defends himself against alleged fake news. This is highlighted by a survey conducted by FGV Comunicação Rio, which analyzed the performance and content of candidates(1) posts from August 16, the official start of their campaigns, to September 22, 2024, on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. The profiles of the nine candidates  for the Fortaleza City Hall were mapped, resulting in 2,300 collected posts during this period.

Social media engagement among candidates for Mayor of Fortaleza

Candidates with the most engagement per network

Period: August 16 to September 22, 2024 | Total posts: 2,318

Source: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok | Elaborated by: FGV Comunicação Rio

Candidate André Fernandes (PL) stands out among the candidates on social media, achieving his best performance on Instagram and TikTok, gathering 32.4% and 40.6% of total interactions with his profiles on these platforms, respectively. Fernandes is a federal deputy and is technically tied with Evandro Leitão (PT) in the election polls. Despite having the support of a familial political capital, inherited from his father, state deputy Alcides Fernandes da Silva, the candidate began his public career as a YouTuber. On his channel, he published videos criticizing the traditional media, making anti-PT statements, and commenting on public safety in Brazil.

Despite the fierce competition in the electoral polls, the federal deputy from the PL leads comfortably on social media. However, a closer look at each platform reveals that other candidates are also performing well. Senator Eduardo Girão (NOVO) accounts for 6.8% of total interactions on Instagram, followed by former federal deputy Captain Wagner (União Brasil) with 3.8%, and current mayor José Sarto (PDT) with 3.5%. State deputy Evandro Leitão (PT), despite his prominence in the polls, only gathers 2.9% of total interactions, also from Instagram. On TikTok, current mayor José Sarto performs better, accumulating 8.3% of total interactions, but Fernandes still holds a significant portion of interactions on the platform.

It is also noteworthy that there is a remarkable balance in the centrality of platforms in the digital campaigns of candidates in the capital of Ceará: Instagram and TikTok account for 49.7% and 49.3% of the total interactions garnered by all candidates for the mayoral position, respectively. These data suggest a departure from the general scenario of mayoral campaigns in other Brazilian capitals, where Instagram dominates with about 90% of the total observed engagement, considering the presence of Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Unlike much of the country, where TikTok holds secondary importance compared to Instagram, Fortaleza exhibits an unusual balance between these two networks, largely explained by the intense use of TikTok for disseminating short videos featuring "combat" jingles between the main candidates.

Recurring communication strategies

Period: August 16 to September 22, 2024 | Total posts: 2,963

foto

Source: Instagram and TikTok | Elaborated by: FGV Comunicação Rio

The most common strategies among candidates for the Fortaleza mayoralty on social media reflect the direct confrontation between André Fernandes (PL), who has significant prominence on Instagram and TikTok, and his main opponent, current mayor José Sarto (PDT). Of the 10 pieces of content with the highest engagement on TikTok, nine are from Fernandes and one from Sarto. Both candidates focus on establishing direct clashes through a "competition" of attack and defense jingles, a strategy that has seen high engagement on TikTok, with viral videos surpassing 12 million views on the platform.

Both candidates' videos adopt a comedic tone aimed at drawing voters' attention to the alleged contrasts between their respective campaigns, often set to popular music genres like brega funk and sung alongside supporters at campaign events. Noteworthy developments from these jingles include reports that Sarto attempted to prohibit the airing of a jingle against him, only to later appropriate the same jingle in his favor. Generally, the most prominent videos create a jocular atmosphere conducive to mockery, focusing on ridiculing, attacking, and belittling opponents in a style that mimics strong informality.

There has also been significant circulation on TikTok and Instagram of posts where André Fernandes seeks to defend himself against alleged fake news spread by Sarto's campaign. These often consist of edited clips of older videos from Fernandes, which are placed in contexts that could harm his campaign, such as insinuations that he uses drugs or has made remarks deemed sexist and misogynistic. It can be said that Fernandes' defense videos resonated more with the audience than the supposed campaign attacks that prompted these contents.

Regarding the polarization/nationalization of the debate, only one mention of former president Jair Bolsonaro was recorded, in a post by Senator Eduardo Girão, considering solely the scope of the captions analyzed. In contrast, Lula was mentioned 95 times, primarily by the PT candidate Evandro Leitão, in a positive light with a clear intent to create a direct association with the current president. It is interesting to note that, despite being the candidate from the PL, Bolsonaro's party, André Fernandes did not mention the politician in the captions of his posts, which may indicate an attempt to minimize his connection to the former president on social media. On the other hand, Eduardo Girão, who made the sole mention of Bolsonaro identified, invested in promoting the extreme-right agenda on social media, including attacks on the judiciary and endorsements of national protests against the government.

Notes: 

  1.  The profiles of candidates running for mayor were mapped based on the data provided by the candidates at the time of their registration with the Superior Electoral Court (TSE). After this initial mapping, all profiles were verified by a team of researchers, and accounts suggested by the candidates on social media or verified on the platforms were added. Candidates or networks that did not indicate profiles and were not found during this mapping were not included in the post collection.

  2.  The average engagement corresponds to the total engagement (that is, the interactions accumulated by users, such as likes, reactions, comments, and shares) divided by the number of posts published by the candidates on their respective profiles. This metric allows for assessing the candidates' performance in terms of interactions in a more horizontal manner, since the total engagement metric can be affected by isolated viral posts that do not necessarily represent the engagement dynamics of a profile over a broader period. Video views are not considered engagement in the analyses of this study..

  3.  Datafolha Survey Fortaleza: André and Evandro Share Leadership; Wagner and Sarto Decline. Available at:https://www.opovo.com.br/noticias/politica/eleicoes/2024/09/25/pesquisa-datafolha-fortaleza-andre-e-evandro-dividem-lideranca-wagner-e-sarto-caem.html. Accessed on September 24, 2024.