Social Media and Leadership in the 2023 Partito Democratico Primaries: A Comparative Study of Elly Schlein and Stefano Bonaccini

Laura Minguzzi; Giuseppe Borriello

doi:10.22151/politikon.61.1

Authors

Laura Minguzzi University of Naples Federico II https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6461-9043
Giuseppe Borriello University of Naples Federico II https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9740-6186

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.22151/politikon.61.1

Keywords:

Political Communication, Political Campaigns, Social Media, Italian Politics, Digitalization, Personalization, Content Analysis, Digital Leadership

Abstract

This article examines the 2023 Partito Democratico (PD) primary election in Italy, comparing the digital campaign strategies of Elly Schlein, current PD Secretary, and Stefano Bonaccini, the long-serving President of the Emilia-Romagna region. Using qualitative content analysis of their campaign manifestos and social media data from Facebook and Instagram, the study explores how digitalization and personalization shaped their leadership styles and electoral performance. Findings show that, despite similar policy agendas, Schlein’s inclusive, interactive, and grassroots-oriented communication generated stronger online engagement and follower growth, contributing to her unexpected victory. Bonaccini’s campaign, though well-funded and institutionally supported, relied on more traditional political communication. The research argues that Schlein’s success marks a partial shift within the PD towards a more digital, personalized form of leadership while highlighting the structural resistance that continues to hinder full organizational transformation.

Author Biographies

Laura Minguzzi, University of Naples Federico II

Laura Minguzzi is a Research Fellow in Political Science at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II. She obtained her Master’s Degree in International Relations from the Department of Political Science at the same university, where she began studying the risks that populism poses to representative democracy. During her PhD, she developed a research focus on political leadership, examining how the use of social media has reshaped political language and the role of leaders within party organizations. She has also been a Visiting Research Fellow at the School of Law, Politics and Sociology at the University of Sussex.

Giuseppe Borriello, University of Naples Federico II

Giuseppe Borriello is a Research Fellow in Political Science at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Naples Federico II. He has served as an academic tutor at the Penitentiary Center of Naples – Secondigliano "Pasquale Mandato" and was a visiting research fellow at the Centre for Sociodigital Futures, University of Bristol (UK). His main research interests include political science, public policy analysis, the digitization of public administration, digital identity, and digital sovereignty.

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