Personal Brand of a Politician in an Election Campaign – Political Personas on Facebook

Elisa Kannasto

doi:10.21153/psj2020vol6no1art943

Elisa Kannasto Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1758-982X

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21153/psj2020vol6no1art943

Keywords: Political Persona, Online discussion, Campaign communications, Political self, Personal Brand of a politician

Abstract

A politician’s persona is negotiated on multiple platforms in various ways. Some maintain a strategic, carefully negotiated self, while others reveal more and blur lines between professional and private dimensions of their persona (Street 2004). Together with constituents – who discuss them widely on different platforms – politicians build personal brands which construct their lives as performances and products to be sold (van Dijck 2013; Enli 2015a). Persona representations provoke feelings and politicians are expected to effectively manage scrutiny of both private and professional elements of their public selves.

Author Biography

Elisa Kannasto, Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences, Finland

Elisa Kannasto is a Senior Lecturer of Communications and Finnish Language in the Seinäjoki University of Applied Sciences and a PhD Candidate in the University of Vaasa, Finland. Her research focuses on construction of personal brands in political campaigns on social media. Her other research interests are on social media, fake media and brands.

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