It was not the first and it will certainly not be the last sortie of a political leader who calls for a relaxation of the measures of restrictions. Matteo Salvini’s statements on the reopening after Easter of schools and commercial activities meet the palpable and widespread fatigue of Italians due to anti-Covid measures. And that damage not only the economy, but also the popularity of political leaders. The leader of the League himself has suffered a drastic drop in interactions on his social accounts, since the installation of the Draghi government. But Salvini is not alone: Conte, Renzi, Di Maio, even Meloni have seen a reduction in the number of interactions on their social accounts, since the government headed by Mario Draghi took office.
Photographing this trend is FBBubbles, the advocacy strategies division of FB & Associati, which has examined the trend of the interactions of some of the main political leaders since the beginning of the year, quantifying the impact of Mario Draghi’s entry into Palazzo Chigi
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From the graph it is clear how the Draghi style has put out of play a very polarized and divisive communication such as the one put in place by Italian leaders in recent years.
Qualitative analysis
It concerns in a striking way those who lead parties that support the Government, from Salvini to Renzi, but not even Meloni who sees the interaction on their social accounts halved in the first two months of the year by the opposition. In terms of social popularity, it does not seem to pay for the absence of direct attacks on the premier, accused in the speech on the occasion of the vote of confidence of enjoying an excessive “weight of the left in the executive”. With the result of leaving the role of critical counterpart of the Draghi government to Fatto Quotidiano. While the social parable of former premier Giuseppe Conte is still to be deciphered, who, pending its redefinition within the 5 Star Movement, appears to have practically disappeared from social conversations.
Interaction certainly does not mean consent, on the contrary: it should be remembered that the comments on the posts of Italian politicians are largely (and sometimes a clear majority) negative. However, he notes how the change of pace at Palazzo Chigi coincides with a changed trend in digital contexts where politicians gather consensus. “To challenge the political forces that support it – says Annalisa Ferretti, head of the Fb Bubbles Division and partner of Fb & Associati – on an apparently conflicting dilemma: transforming a process that actually undermines the identity positioning of the parties themselves into an opportunity for political consensus an outcome that is far from obvious. The reorganization, also in the positioning of the leaders, is underway, as demonstrated by the recent widespread decline in interactions with posts ».