One of the keys to having the numbers to form governments today involves electoral segmentation. That is, by knowing how to direct certain messages to certain voters. In this sense, networks could point out social trends. This weekend a post was circulating on X, formerly Twitter, that asked: “What networks do you use based on your vote on 23-J?” The question referred to a study by the Center for Sociological Research (CIS) from November on media audiences. You must refer to question 20 to access the answer.
Firstly, the study highlights that six out of ten Spaniards use social networks to obtain information. It is a high percentage, to take into account. Of them, the majority consume Instagram (56%), Facebook (47%) and On a lower level are TikTok, which is used by only 15% of those who use social networks, and YouTube, with 11%. Linkedin is practically residual when analyzing the overall population.
Crossing these data on the use of social networks as an information format with the meaning of the vote on July 23, the result is striking. The most tweeting voters are those who voted for Sumar or nationalist parties such as Junts or EH Bildu. The most active Instagrammers are those who voted for ERC, Sumar and the PP. Facebook, on the other hand, is a territory of bipartisanship, where socialists and popular ones dominate. And finally, Tiktok and YouTube are Vox territory.
This reality reflected in the CIS data shows two aspects to take into account. Firstly, that there is a young vote, and that faces its first appointment with the polls, which the parties are obliged to search for on the networks. This explains, for example, why Pedro Sánchez agreed to be interviewed before the general elections in a podcast popular among Generation Z such as La Pija y la Quinqui. One fact: on the same 23-J, half of the almost three million voters between 18 and 24 years old opted for the PSOE. Only 16% did so for the PP, noted @cluster_17.
And another fact: the right and the extreme right have an important influence on TikTok and YouTube. Ayuso has it and so does Vox, which has started the pre-campaign in Catalonia with a video on the Chinese social network in which he calls for expelling migrants.
Social networks, in short, hold an electoral mine. The key is knowing how to get to it.
