Feel local, post local: An ethnographic investigation of a social media-based local public

Abstract

Using an ethnographic approach, this study examines the social media-based local public sphere during a by-election campaign in Jászberény, a medium-sized city in Hungary. We conducted online observations and interviews with local actors to explore the construction and functioning of the communication arena on Facebook, the central social media platform of local politics. We show that there is a vibrant local public on Facebook, where local elites and citizens actively discuss local issues. This public is highly centralized, dominated by a few key actors, and polarized along political lines, but it is still integrated through frequent interactions between actors belonging to different political blocs. It is also highly personal and embedded in the offline lifeworld. The issues discussed online can lead to policy actions. The local Facebook public is also characterized by strong negativity and the presence of deceptive techniques acting as a deterrent to participation in online civic activities.