The 2022 presidential election: what happened on Facebook?

ABSTRACT This article aims to retrace the main stages of the 2022 Italian presidential election through the messages spread within the Web environment. In particular, it investigates the digital communication on Facebook of the main political leaders and parties involved, as a privileged perspective from which to understand contemporary Italian politics. To achieve these objectives, the article is divided into three sections. First, it discusses the main challenges of presidential elections over the last twenty years, by observing how digital disruption has transformed their fundamental dynamics and political actors’ communication strategies. Second, it employs methodological approaches that are based on digital methods and content analysis to explore the digital discourse of both party leaders and their respective parties before, during and after the 2022 election. More specifically, it analyses how they used Facebook as a primary tool to inform and engage with both citizens and mainstream media, as well as to shape political bargaining. Overall, the article argues that, although Italy’s presidential race lacks any formal list of candidates, as the election is largely decided behind closed doors, the spread of digital platforms has to some extent brought the manoeuvring between political forces into public view introducing, to some extent, a new phase of campaigning. Finally, it shows how presidential elections in the Web environment have contributed to presidential personalization in Italy and explores complementary reasons why digital platforms have acquired a new centrality in the Italian political environment.