Tristan Hotham
Question

Does Facebook level the field between large and small parties?

Answered by Dr Tristan Hotham, data-led researcher of politics, the past, platforms and places, from his own published research.

Short answer

Not exactly. Engagement followed votes, but less than proportionally and on different parties: the largest party by votes received the most engagement in only about a quarter of country-years.

What the evidence shows

Caveats

Engagement and votes are different things: the paper describes how audiences' attention was distributed, not what any party deserved.

Read the research

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