Vortrag von Bruna Paroni zu algorithmischer Verstärkung im Wahlkampf

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

As part of a guest lecture at ZeMKI, Bruna Paroni provided insights into current research on the role of digital platforms in election campaigns. The focus was on the 2024 mayoral election in São Paulo, Brazil, with over 9 million voters.

The presentation demonstrated how algorithmic visibility was unevenly distributed and favored polarizing content. It was based on an analysis of more than 7,000 Instagram posts.

The results illustrate that visibility is less determined by ideology than by the candidates‘ identities. One challenger achieves particularly high reach through emotional content, mockery, and personal attacks, while political content is almost entirely absent.

Furthermore, the analysis points to a change in platform logic. Neither follower count nor posting frequency increases visibility. Instead, the performance of individual posts is what determines visibility.