In 2023, the number of publications on the web and on social media by news organizations will increase: +1.3% on Facebook, +4.3% on Instagram and even +351% on TikTok. Only X (formerly Twitter) is down (-7.3%). This is what emerges from the report The summer of Italian information on the web – Topics, news and user reactions, created by the SocialData Editorial Observatory in collaboration with SocialCom, Jump and Kleos. According to the report, in the summer of 2023, compared to a decrease in the total number of publications (-7%), social media marks +8% of interactions, i.e. reactions, comments, shares. In particular, +360% on TikTok, +32.6% Instagram, +41.5% Twitter. The number of followers on the newspapers’ social channels is also increasing (+300% TikTok, +13.3% Instagram, +10% Twitter), and users’ preference is for increasingly visual and less textual information.
The most quoted politician?
From 1 June to 15 September Giorgia Meloni is the most cited Italian politician (2,367), and at the same time the one on which the greatest number of discussions are concentrated (352,000). Among the most discussed political news, the decisions taken in the Council of Ministers, foreign policy and climate change, while the death of Silvio Berlusconi was the most discussed news by users, followed by the Giulia Tramontano affair and the disappearance premature by Michela Murgia. In the ranking of the most published news, the war in Ukraine dominates (4,900), followed by the migrant emergency (3,800) and the disappearance of Silvio Berlusconi (3,217).
Migrants and landings, peak conversations in the last 10 days
The topic of migrants, in particular landings, has seen a sharp spike in conversations in the last ten days. The sentiment recorded is negative for 64% of conversations. In publications and related social comments, the naval blockade and the Government are the most cited topics.
General Vannacci’s book was instead one of the stories of the summer also on the web. The sentiment recorded on the issue as a whole is negative at 54%. After an initial peak recorded in the second half of August, interest in the topic is progressively declining, overtaken by other current topics.
From feminicides to the transfer market: the most discussed cases
Among other topics, feminicides have recorded constant interest, with a peak in the first part of September due to various news episodes. There is a strongly negative sentiment on the topic (71%), reports beraking latest news. The Caivano events also generated a lot of indignation online. At the center of the conversations above all was the state of the cousins who were victims of the violence, but also the interventions of the Government and the figure of Don Patriciello. As for sports news, the most cited and discussed football team is Milan, followed by Inter, Roma, Juventus and Napoli. Among the players, the most frequent news concerned Lukaku, Vlahovic, Osimhen and Bonucci, all referring to transfer market movements.