The Digital Architectures of Social Media: Comparing Political Campaigning on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat in the 2016 U.S. Election

TL;DR

This study examines how the technical design of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat influenced political campaigning strategies during the 2016 US election, highlighting platform-specific effects on user engagement and campaign tactics.

Contribution

It introduces a framework for analyzing social media platforms' digital architectures and applies it to compare four major platforms in a political context.

Findings

Platform architecture shapes campaign strategies and user engagement.

Network structure and algorithms influence information dissemination.

Different platforms enable distinct political communication tactics.

Abstract

The present study argues that political communication on social media is mediated by a platform's digital architecture, defined as the technical protocols that enable, constrain, and shape user behavior in a virtual space. A framework for understanding digital architectures is introduced, and four platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat) are compared along the typology. Using the 2016 US election as a case, interviews with three Republican digital strategists are combined with social media data to qualify the studyies theoretical claim that a platform's network structure, functionality, algorithmic filtering, and datafication model affect political campaign strategy on social media.