Political discourse and digital participation on Instagram:

Abstract

This study examines the influence of discursive functions, topics, and formats on Instagram on digital participation (Likes and comments) during the 2024 presidential campaign in Mexico. Using a content analysis of 2,746 posts based on Benoit's functional theory and analyzed with negative binomial regression models, the effectiveness of the candidates' communication strategies was assessed. The findings show that the defense function is the most effective strategy for generating digital engagement, while attacks primarily encourage deliberation in the comments. The results also indicate that posts highlighting the candidate's personal qualities generate more interaction than programmatic political proposals, and that image collections perform significantly worse than video. This research contributes to the field by validating the applicability of functional theory in Latin American visual environments, empirically demonstrating that electoral digital interaction is driven more by personalization and reactive controversy than by acclaim content.