Bonding with followers: Chronotopes and scales in political communication on Instagram

Abstract

In this study, I apply the notions of chronotopes and scales to analyze how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a US politician and activist, constructs a relatable persona in her Instagram stories. I focus on two strategies that she deploys: the mixing of chronotopes associated with different scales of formality/publicness within the same story, and the use of downscaling strategies to reduce the formality of public chronotopes. More specifically, I analyze her alternation in the same story of images evoking chronotopes related to different domains of her life which can be placed on divergent scales on the public/private and formal/informal continuum. I also show how she uses downscaling strategies such as introducing her dog within chronotopes related to her role as a politician, establishing interpersonal connections, or talking about personal issues to reduce the distance between herself as a politician and her followers. This article thus contributes both to the study of the relationships between chronotopes and scales and to the analysis of communication strategies by politicians.