Talk by Bruna Paroni on Algorithmic Amplification in Elections

On April 8, 2026, Bruna Paroni from the University of Urbino, Italy, gave a talk at ZeMKI in Bremen on algorithmic amplification of visual content in Brazilian election campaigns.

As part of a guest talk at ZeMKI, Bruna Paroni presented her research on the role of digital platforms in election campaigns. The talk focused on the 2024 mayoral race in São Paulo, Brazil, which involved more than 9 million voters.

The presentation showed how algorithmic visibility was unevenly distributed and tended to favor divisive content. It drew on an analysis of more than 7000 Instagram posts.

The findings highlight that visibility is shaped more by candidate identity than by ideology. One challenger consistently achieves particularly high reach through emotional content, mockery, and personal attacks, while policy-related content is largely absent.

The analysis also points to a shift in platform logic. Follower counts and posting frequency do not increase visibility. Instead, the performance of individual posts drives recommendation systems.