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The Inne Ci cle o Powe on Twi e ? How Poli icians and Jou nalis s Fo m a
Vi ual Ne wo k Eli e in Finland
Ii is Ruoho*, Jaana Kuusipalo**
* Facul y o In o ma ion Technology and Communica ion, Tampe e Uni e si y, Finland
** Facul y o Social Sciences, Tampe e Uni e si y, Finland
Abs ac
Top-le el poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s ha e been key ac o s in public discussion necessa y o a
democ a ic poli ical sys em and anspa en poli ical decision-making. This a icle p esen s an empi ical
social ne wo k analysis showing he connec ions be ween Finnish op-le el poli icians and poli ical
jou nalis s on Twi e and he cons uc ion o media ed poli ical and media eli es in his speci ic con ex .
The a icle a gues ha he e is a need o ake se iously he Twi e as a medium and he new ways o
ne wo king p o ided by he digi al, hyb id media en i onmen in pa icula . The esul s o ou empi ical
s udy sugges ha i may e en be ele an o alk abou
media ed
eli es, which ha e eme ged unde he
new social condi ion c ea ed by he digi aliza ion o media, cul u e, and socie y.
Keywo ds: Poli ical communica ion; media ed eli es; digi aliza ion o media.
Submi ed: 4 h June 2018
Accep ed: 28 h No embe 2018
In oduc ion
Twi e , like o he mic oblogging pla o ms, ends o encou age some o ms o poli ical communica ion while
limi ing o he s ( an Dijck, 2013), which may spawn new ypes o eli e ne wo ks. Poli icians use pla o ms
such as Twi e o gain and main ain poli ical suppo and pa icipa e in poli ical deba es (e.g. G aham,
Jackson, & B oe sma, 2016, pp. 768–769). Thus, poli icians’ online p esence e lec s new p ac ices o
poli ical ep esen a ion. Fo poli ical jou nalis s, he In e ne and social media ha e become essen ial ools
o seeking in o ma ion and building p o essional ne wo ks. In ac , he use o Twi e and o he ne wo ked
pla o ms has la gely been inco po a ed in o jou nalis s’ daily ou ines (Laso sa, Lewis, & Hol on, 2012, p.
22) and has p o ided hem wi h a new way o s o y elling (Papacha issi, 2016).
1
As he mos popula social media si e among poli ical and media eli es in Finland, Twi e seems o be a
pa icula ly ele an media pla o m o he s udy o eli e ne wo ks in he Finnish con ex (Twi e census,
2013; Vainikka & Huh amäki, 2015, p. 180). Top-le el poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s a e key ac o s in
public discussions, which a e necessa y o a democ a ic poli ical sys em and anspa en poli ical decision-
making. In he p e ious s udy (Ruoho, Kuusipalo, Vainikka, & Huh amäki, 2014
2
and Ruoho & Kuusipalo,
2018) on he social ne wo ks be ween Finnish poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s, we asked how an online
public space, such as Twi e , ends o modi y poli ical ep esen a ion, democ acy and equali y.
The aim o his a icle is o discuss he main esul s o he empi ical esea ch on he ne wo ks wi hin and
be ween Finnish poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es in he con ex o eli e esea ch. I a gues ha he e is a need
o ake se iously Twi e as a medium and he new ways o ne wo king p o ided by he digi al, hyb id media
en i onmen in pa icula . The esul s o he empi ical s udy sugges ha i may e en be ele an o alk
071 Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019)
abou
media ed
eli es, who ha e eme ged unde he new social condi ions c ea ed by he digi alisa ion o
media, cul u e and socie y (e.g. Could y & Hepp, 2017; Hepp & K o z, 2014; Hepp, Hja a d, & Lundby,
2015).
Ou o iginal ne wo k analysis ce ainly p o ides only ozen snapsho s o he ne wo ks o Finnish eli es a a
pa icula momen . Howe e , he esul s demons a e ha in addi ion o he adi ional eli es o o mal
poli ics and mains eam media,
i ual eli es
, such as a ‘Twi e eli e’ o poli icians and jou nalis s, exis . This
sugges s ha inc easing numbe s o p ominen poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s may be mo ing in o a new
s age in hei ela ionship o ne wo king h ough hei use o Twi e .
The a icle s a s wi h a discussion o he my h o media ed powe and how his my h wo ks wi h he key
playe s in poli ics and jou nalism. A e del ing in o he media isa ion o poli ics and jou nalism, he a icle
co e s some heo e ical challenges ha eli e esea ch is acing in he digi al en i onmen . These challenges
a e discussed along wi h he p esen a ion o he main esul s o he empi ical s udy on he Twi e ne wo ks
o Finnish poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es. The a icle ends wi h some concluding ema ks ha p o ide new
insigh s o eli e esea ch by sugges ing new ways o s udy eli es o he digi al age.
My h o media ed powe
The idea ha a socie y has a ‘cen e’ (‘ he my h o he cen e’) ep esen ed by he media (‘ he my h o he
media ed cen e’) has been conside ed undamen al o he discu si e powe wielded by he media (Could y,
2003, p. 45; c . Jensen, 2015, pp. 189–190). The poli ical eli e ies o sway public opinion ia he media,
whe eas poli ical jou nalis s main ain he my h o he media ed cen e by epo ing on opical poli ical issues,
which a e assumed o e lec ‘wha is eally going on igh now’. Acco dingly, one could a gue ha Twi e
is doing i s pa o main ain he my h o he media ed cen e. This is no only because o he ype o poli ical
communica ion o con en ha i encou ages bu also because, in e ms o he pe soni ica ion o poli ics, i
o e s an ad an age in he game o isibili y and popula i y, as his a icle will show.
Today, he con empo a y digi al media en i onmen is c ea ing new dynamics o social li e and p oducing
new social cons ella ions. Mic o-blogging se ices, such as Twi e , a e unique in hei me hods o moulding
social ela ions and ne wo ks in a speci ic con ex , making i possible o a gue ha he social is being
cons uc ed om, and h ough, echnologically media ed p ocesses and in as uc u es o communica ion
ha one used o call ‘media’. One can e en a gue ha as one o hese mic oblogging se ices, Twi e builds
i s own kind o social wo ld (La ou , 2005) wi h i s own logics and ideas abou poli ical ep esen a ion,
democ acy and equali y.
Ins ead o assuming ha media, in one way o ano he , colonise poli ics (Meye & Hinchman, 2002) o ha
poli ics akes con ol o media, he a icle a gues ha in he digi al and hyb id media en i onmen s, Twi e
o e s poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es a unique pla o m o bo h gaining public a en ion and ne wo king.
Thus, he heo e ical in e es lies in he media- ela ed in e ac ion be ween and among i ual eli es, on one
hand, and Twi e as a medium ha shapes his communica ion, on he o he hand. A he cen e o ou
deba e is he concep o media isa ion, which ep esen s o us a new social condi ion in which he ole and
in luence o media on cul u e and socie y a e assumed o change. Ye he e a e ongoing deba es bo h o
and agains he s eng h o media in poli ical communica ion and he ela ionship o media (o jou nalism)
Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019) Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo 072
as an ins i u ion o o he social ins i u ions and policymake s (e.g. Could y & Hepp, 2017; Esse & S ömbäck,
2014; Hja a d, 2013; Kamme , 2013; Kunelius & Reunanen, 2016; Lundby, 2009; Wi schge, 2014).
As And eas Hepp (2013) a gues, in communica ion heo y, media isa ion encompasses wo dispa a e
adi ions – namely, he ins i u ional adi ion and he socio-cons uc i is adi ion (p. 616). The o me has,
un il ecen ly, mainly ocused on adi ional mass media, whose in luence is desc ibed as ‘media logic’,
whe eas he la e is a ge ed mo e owa ds e e yday communica ion p ac ices – especially hose ela ed o
digi al media and pe sonal communica ion – and ocuses on he changing communica i e cons uc ion o
cul u e and socie y. A oiding he dicho omy o hese wo adi ions, Hepp (2013) p oposes he me apho o
‘moulding o ces’ o media, indica ing ha one canno p esume a con ex - ee ‘e ec ’ o a ce ain medium
(p. 619). The a ious ields o cul u e and socie y, including poli ics and jou nalism, a e communica i ely
cons uc ed simul aneously ac oss a a ie y o media (Hepp, 2013, p. 621). Consequen ly, Twi e as a si e
o ne wo ks be ween social and poli ical ac o s holds discu si e powe as a pa o he public sphe e and i s
‘poli ical publici y’.
The adi ional eli e ne wo ks ha e no disappea ed bu a e sus ained by a ious pe sonal, ace- o- ace
con ac s and ac i i ies o en in exclusi e spaces o inside s. In addi ion, eli es ope a e in he digi al media
en i onmen and wi hin he hyb id media sys em ha combines adi ional and new media (Chadwick, 2013).
Acco ding o he s udy on Twi e ne wo ks be ween op-le el poli icians and jou nalis s in Finland, i ual
eli e ne wo ks do exis – a leas be ween hese wo eli e g oups. Equal access o eli es, i espec i e o social
di e ences, is a p e equisi e o a mode n democ acy and a key ques ion in eli e esea ch, which con ibu es
o he knowledge o he dis ibu ion o powe be ween di e en social g oups (e.g. E zioni-Hale y, 1993;
Mills, 1956; Mosca, 1939; Pu nam, 1976).
The i ual eli e and he poli ics o p esence
In o de o in es iga e he access o he i ual eli e and composi ion o he Twi e eli e, on one hand, and
he ela ionship be ween he poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es, on he o he hand, he s udy employed he
concep s o
e ical
and
ho izon al mobili y
used in eli e esea ch. Access o a i ual eli e and i s composi ion
a e measu ed by i s
e ical mobili y
. Ve ical mobili y measu es he openness o he eli e o being accessible
o all membe s o socie y, i espec i e o hei social class, gende , e hnici y o o he social di e ences. In
he empi ical analysis, he de e minan s o e ical mobili y o he Twi e eli e we e gende , place o
esidence, pa y a ilia ion (poli icians) and media a ilia ion (jou nalis s). In o he wo ds, he mo e open he
eli e is o new membe s which ep esen a wide spec um o social di e si y, he mo e ex ensi e is e ical
mobili y o ha eli e.
Ho izon al mobili y, on he o he hand, e e s o mu ual cohe ence o di e en eli e g oups. In classical eli e
esea ch, he concep o powe eli e (Mills, 1956) e e s o a si ua ion in which di e en eli e g oups a e
closely in e wined, he eby o ming a cohe en g oup. Such cohe ence can be measu ed by using he
concep o ho izon al mobili y, acco ding o which he mo e connec ions, in e ac ions and mu ual in e es s
he e a e be ween di e en eli e g oups, he g ea e he cohe ence o he powe eli e. Con e sely, he ewe
connec ions he e a e be ween eli es, he mo e agmen ed he powe eli e is (Ruos e saa i, 2014, pp. 28–
31).
073 Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019)
I he i ual eli e s uc u e o he Twi e eli e is cha ac e ised by weak e ical mobili y and ex ensi e
ho izon al mobili y (dense ne wo ks be ween poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es), he Twi e eli e can be deemed
exclusi e. Howe e , i ho izon al mobili y is weak, bu e ical mobili y is ex ensi e, he Twi e eli e can be
iewed as agmen ed. In gene al, an exclusi e eli e s uc u e is inadequa e, whe eas a agmen ed eli e
s uc u e bes mee s he c i e ia o classical democ acy (Ruos e saa i, 2006, 2014, p. 31). Dense and ac i e
i ual ne wo ks be ween poli ical and media eli es may be ela ed o changes in he p ac ices o poli ical
ep esen a ion. Such changes a e desc ibed in he heo ies acco ding o which he model o ep esen a i e
democ acy has changed om ‘pa y democ acy’ o ‘audience democ acy’ (Bo g & Paloheimo, 2009; Manin,
1997) o ‘media democ acy’ (Meye & Hinchman, 2002). This new model o democ a ic p ac ices e lec s
he consequences o s uc u al and poli ical changes as well as changes in he ole o media in poli ics –
mo e explici ly, he media isa ion o poli ics. In audience democ acy, poli ical ep esen a i es and leade s
a e chosen on he g ounds o hei public image, while hei c edibili y is la gely buil on, and main ained
by, poli ical publici y, and hence by media (Bo g & Paloheimo, 2009, p. 15).
The inc eased numbe o poli ical scandals and expanding media co e age o he p i a e and in ima e li es
o poli icians a e signs o an a ec i e u n in poli ics. The in ensi ying compe i ion in he media indus y
makes audience democ acy p o i able; hus, om he business pe spec i e, poli ical pe sonali ies and
scandals become mo e impo an han aking up ele an poli ical issues (Cas ells, 2007). The accele a ion
o poli ical decision-making and he inc easing numbe , and g owing complexi y, o poli ical issues make i
easie o o e s o choose be ween poli ical pe sons han be ween poli ical p og ammes. Thus, he c isis o
legi imacy coupled wi h he inc easing complexi y and unp edic abili y o poli ical decision-making has led
o a pe soni ica ion o poli ics ha is ypically de ined in poli ical science as a endency o ci izens o p e e
o ing o pe sons ins ead o pa ies.
Based on he empi ical s udy, we assumed ha poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s a e ied oge he in hei
Twi e ne wo ks by mu ual in e es s. Fo poli icians, his means being depic ed in he mos posi i e ligh in
poli ical publici y, and o jou nalis s, i means ha ing di ec con ac wi h key poli icians o be he i s o
hea he opics o he day. Such in e dependency be ween op-le el poli icians and jou nalis s, who a e he
‘ga ekeepe s’ o poli ical publici y, can cause p oblems in e ms o he democ a ic p inciples o jou nalism.
Ne e heless, he exis ence o a Twi e eli e consis ing o a small g oup o people in op-le el posi ions in
poli ics and jou nalism would indica e a need o ex end eli e esea ch o he hyb id media en i onmen ,
which seems o cons i u e a new pla o m o poli ical and jou nalis ic (media ed) eli es o ge oge he and
main ain hei s a us.
The s udy ocused no only on connec ions wi hin and be ween poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es in Finland bu
also be ween hese eli e g oups and hose whom hey ollow on Twi e . I asked whe he hese con ac s
cons i u e such igh ly kni , cohesi e ne wo ks ha i would be jus i ied o speak o he exis ence o an ‘inne
ci cle’. The exis ence o such a Twi e eli e among op-le el poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s would indica e
ha he o ma ion o eli e ne wo ks may ake place also in he digi al en i onmen . Fu he mo e, and especially,
i hese digi al ne wo ks di e om adi ional ones, i would s eng hen he poin ha eli e esea ch o he
digi al age should include s udies on he i ual communica ion, con ac s and ne wo ks o eli es. In o he wo ds,
he s udy ecognised a need o esea ch ha akes in o conside a ion he media isa ion o eli es, o which ou
e m, ‘media ed eli es’, e e s.
Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019) Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo 074
E en hough Twi e 's use base is small in Finland, wi h a popula ion o abou i e and hal million, i is
conside ably mo e signi ican han wha one migh hink o on g ounds o i s size. Twi e is pe haps he mos
impo an social media se ice in he Finnish socie y ha ep esen s pa liamen a y democ acy and a mul i-pa y
sys em. Twi e use s ha e been calcula ed o be a ound 150,000 pe mon h. Unlike, o example, in he Uni ed
S a es, whe e Twi e is la gely a “people´s media", in Finland Twi e is an eli e media ha p o ides a pla o m
o discussion wi h poli icians, decision-make s and media ep esen a i es. This has been seen o be conduci e
o open issues and democ a ic decision-making, so Twi e 's ele ance o he poli ical ins i u ion and news media
has been s udied ela i ely much in ecen yea s. (Iso alus, Jussila & Ma ikainen, 2018.) Despi e he p esence
o he Twi e eli e, he e is li le esea ch abou how how old eli es a e o ganized in ela ion o each o he and
wha new eli e g oups ha e eme ged in Twi e .
The objec o he s udy is o con ibu e o he discussion on he ways digi al media en i onmen has a ec ed
he ne wo king be ween and wi hin he Finnish poli ical eli e and jou nalis s specialized in poli ics and wha
his migh mean o eli e esea ch. The ollowing sec ions o he a icle p esen he main esul s o he
empi ical analysis o he Finnish ne wo ks wi hin and be ween membe s o he poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es
o Finland. The s udy was aimed a answe ing he ollowing ques ions:
Wha kinds o ne wo ks ha e
eme ged wi hin and be ween he Finnish op-le el poli icians and jou nalis s on Twi e ? Wha a e he main
cha ac e is ics o he media ised eli e assembled on and by Twi e , and who is included and excluded?
Nex ,
he
esul s o he s udy a e discussed in he con ex o heo e ical discussions ega ding he media isa ion
o bo h poli ics and jou nalism, which we suspec has c ea ed new quali ica ion equi emen s o op-le el
posi ions in poli ics and media. Finally, he s udy discusses he kinds o heo e ical challenges eli e esea ch
is acing due o he alleged changes in he ne wo king (and e en o ma ion) o eli es in he digi al age.
Social ne wo k analysis – me hod and da a collec ion
Thus a , he e has been e y li le esea ch on he i ual ne wo ks o eli es es ablished on social media
(see, howe e , Ruoho & Kuusipalo, 2018; Ruoho e al., 2014; Ve weij, 2012). The me hod o inding eli e
ne wo ks among and be ween Finnish op-le el poli icians and jou nalis s on Twi e was social ne wo k
analysis. Con en ionally, his me hod is used o in es iga ing o ganisa ions o ins i u ions and an ac o ’s
posi ion wi hin hem, while he ac o ’s s uc u al posi ion in he ne wo k is, o a lesse o g ea e deg ee,
associa ed wi h his o he le el o in luence (Laumann & Knoke, 1989, pp. 22–23). In his s udy, social
ne wo k analysis was also employed o measu e he cohe ence (ho izon al mobili y) o a Twi e eli e
consis ing o wo eli e g oups - op-le el poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s – as well as i s openness o
exclusi i y ( e ical mobili y).
In o de o iden i y eli e ne wo ks and hei mu ual connec ions in i ual landscape an ac o -based app oach
(S iegli z & Dang-Xuan, 2012) was used in a compu e -assis ed ne wo k analysis o a sample comp ising
indi iduals wi h Twi e accoun s. Da a mining and isualisa ion by o ce-di ec ed algo i hms made he
ne wo ks isible.
3
Visualising he ne wo ks allowed o displaying he basic cha ac e is ics o he whole
ne wo k and i s indi idual ac o s (nodes). The social ne wo k analysis p oduced isualisa ions o bo h eli e
ne wo ks and smalle clus e s amongs hem, illus a ing he ypes o eli e ne wo ks cons uc ed in ‘media-
075 Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019)
ela ed p ac ices’ (Could y, 2012, p. 35) o media ising p ac ices o eli es p o ided by mic oblogging
pla o ms.
To d aw a sample ep esen ing he Finnish poli ical eli e, a lis o poli icians holding he highes posi ions in
he Finnish poli ical sys em was compiled. This lis included cabine minis e s, Speake s o Pa liamen , chai s
o pa liamen a y g oups, chai s o pa liamen a y commi ees and leade s o poli ical pa ies. Ou o his
g oup o 69 op-le el poli icians, only hose who used Twi e (17 men and 17 women; o al 34) we e
included in he sample o poli ical eli es. The sample o jou nalis s (23 men and 16 women; o al 39) included
s a membe s ep esen ing poli ical and domes ic news om he la ges na ional and egional newspape s
and elec onic media as well as jou nalis s a ilia ed wi h he espec i e pa y newspape s. Subsequen ly,
he accoun s o hose whom hese wo eli e g oups ollowed we e included in he da a. In sum, he da a
downloaded in Decembe 2013 comp ised he o iginal samples o poli ical eli es and op-le el poli ical
jou nalis s (40 men and 33 women; o al 73) and he op 50 Twi e accoun s hey we e ollowing.
The s uc u e and hie a chies o ne wo ks we e analysed by measu ing he densi y and di ec ion o he low
o in o ma ion be ween indi idual Twi e accoun s o nodes. Densi y e e s o he o e all connec ions
be ween nodes, and i indica es he le el o engagemen in he ne wo k. Cen ali y e lec s he numbe o
connec ions each ac o has in he ne wo k. The e o e, cen ali y measu es can be used as indica o s o
popula i y, powe , in luence and p es ige (Sco & Ca ing on, 2011). This can be e alua ed by sc u inising
one indi idual’s linkages o o he indi iduals. In a di ec ed ne wo k, whe e we know he di ec ion o he
connec ion be ween nodes ( om A o B o om B o A), in-deg ee cen ali y shows how many links e mina e
a he node (incoming links), whe eas ou -deg ee cen ali y shows he numbe o links ha o igina e in he
node (E lin & Rahman, 2009).
In he ollowing, he a icle akes up he key indings o he ne wo k analysis. The isualisa ions used as he
basis o he analysis a e ypical examples o ozen snapsho s o he Twi e ne wo ks a a speci ic momen .
Twi e ne wo ks wi hin and be ween poli ical and jou nalis ic eli es
Top-le el poli icians and jou nalis s on Twi e
The isualisa ion o he Finnish poli ical eli e in Figu e 1 includes he poli icians in he o iginal sample and
he people hey ollow on Twi e . This makes i a s uc u e-based ne wo k (Da mon, Omodei, & Ga land,
2014), whe e connec ions a e o med by whom he membe s o he o iginal sample ollow. The colou o
he node indica es pa y a ilia ion: ed indica es he Social Democ a ic Pa y and he Le Alliance, blue
indica es conse a i es ( he Na ional Coali ion Pa y) and g een indica es he G een League (o G eens) and
he Cen e Pa y
4
. The size o he node co esponds o he numbe o incoming connec ions as an indica o
o popula i y. The mo e ollowe s he e a e, he bigge he size o he node.
Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019) Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo 076
Figu e 1: Ne wo k isualiza ion o he Twi e connec ions o he Finnish poli ical eli e by pa y a ilia ion.
The isualisa ion depic s a a he dense poli ical eli e ne wo k consis ing mos ly o ac i e use s om he
Social Democ a ic and Na ional Coali ion Pa ies, who a e cen ally loca ed in he image. Rep esen a i es o
he Cen e Pa y and he Le Alliance a e a mino i y, such as pa y leade s Juha Sipilä (Cen e Pa y) and
Paa o A hinmäki (Le Alliance). A he ime, he Cen e Pa y was no in go e nmen
5
. The Swedish People’s
Pa y also s ands ou in he ne wo k wi h i s own clus e in he uppe -le co ne o he image.
Rep esen a i es o he G eens a e all loca ed on he igh -hand side o he image, wi h hose who a e o
ha e been minis e s in he go e nmen loca ed close o he cen e (Heidi Hau ala and Ville Niinis ö) han
hose who ha e no held posi ions in he go e nmen (O as Tynkkynen and Ou i Alanko). Fo me minis e
Pekka Haa is o is an excep ion.
Le - and igh -wing pa ies seem o o m hei own sub-ne wo ks, as hey align wi h di e en sides o he
ne wo k. When o ce-di ec ed algo i hms a e used, he nodes wi h many sha ed connec ions a e d awn
oge he . The e o e, he s udy can assume ha he posi ioning o he igh - and le -wing pa ies on hei
own sides o he cons ella ion shows ha hey a e mo e igh ly connec ed o each o he han poli icians a e
in gene al. Ne e heless, Finnish poli icians ac oss pa y lines seem o ollow each o he , o example, in
o de o keeping up wi h wha ano he pa y is discussing. The Finnish poli ical sphe e is di e se, as opposed
o a pola ised wo-pa y sys em, such as in he Uni ed S a es.
Fo me Fo eign Minis e Alexande S ubb (Na ional Coali ion Pa y) and o me Minis e o In e na ional
De elopmen Pekka Haa is o (G eens) a e loca ed a he edges o he cons ella ion because o hei
connec ions ou side he co e g oup. As he igu e shows, hey bo h ha e a signi ican numbe o indi idual
077 Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019)
connec ions ha hey ollow ou side he co e o his ne wo k. This may imply ha hey use Twi e in a
na u al, ‘ wi e esque’ way and no only in ela ion o hei poli ical ac i i y in Finland; in o he wo ds, hey
also ne wo k ou side he Finnish poli ical sphe e.
Compa ed o he poli icians, jou nalis s ha e a la ge pool o Twi e accoun s, which hey ollow. Fu he ,
he ne wo k o poli ical jou nalis s is la ge han ha o he poli ical eli e. Thei di e en in e es s mos likely
explain his. Whe eas jou nalis s mus seek ou in o ma ion om a ious sou ces, poli icians use Twi e
mo e o image managemen and campaigning. P e ious esea ch on social media and Finnish jou nalis s
has shown ha mos o he majo Finnish media ou le s ha e implemen ed social media guidelines, and
hey s ongly encou age he use o social media (Noppa i, Heinonen, & Vainikka, 2014). While he da a
sugges ha membe s o he Finnish poli ical eli e a e mo e in e es ed in o he poli icians’ wee s, he Finnish
poli ical jou nalis s seem o ollow he wee s o he poli ical eli e. Jou nalis s wo king o he oldes
comme cial ele ision channel in Finland,
MTV3
, and hose om he la ges Finnish newspape ,
Helsingin
Sanoma
(HS), a e loca ed close o hei espec i e colleagues and ha e s onge ies among hemsel es.
The co e o he ne wo k is dense.
Combined ne wo k o all poli icians and jou nalis s
Figu e 2 is a isualisa ion o i ual communi ies c ea ed a he in e sec ion o jou nalis s and poli icians. In
he sample, he mos ac i e Twi e use is a jou nalis wo king o HS, which ocuses on na ional and
me opoli an issues. Bo h poli ical jou nalis s and he poli ical eli e ollow jou nalis s Ee a Leh imäki (
MTV3
)
and Ma ko Junkka i (HS); in o he wo ds, hese wo a e connec ing nodes be ween he ne wo ks o
poli icians and jou nalis s. Fu he mo e, he e a e some sha ed connec ions be ween he g oups o poli ical
jou nalis s and poli icians. Bo h g oups seem o ollow he poli ics o he Na ional Coali ion Pa y and he
G een League, which a e popula in he me opoli an, u ban a eas o Finland.
Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019) Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo 078
Figu e 2: Visualisa ion o i ual communi ies c ea ed a he in e sec ion o jou nalis s and poli icians.
A pa allel can be d awn om he indings o he ne wo k analysis o he Finnish eli e g oups, which Ilkka
Ruos e saa i cha s in his 2014 book,
Vallan sisäpii issä
(
The Inne Ci cles o Powe
). He de e mines ha in
compa ison wi h he esul s o he pa liamen a y elec ion, he suppo e s o he Na ional Coali ion Pa y and
he G een League a e o e ep esen ed in he powe eli e, esiding mos ly in Sou he n Finland, while hal o
he membe s o he mass communica ion (media) eli e o e o he Na ional Coali ion Pa y. Mo eo e , his
s udy e eals ha women cons i u e 43% o he poli ical eli e and 33% o he mass communica ion eli e
(Ruos e saa i, 2014, pp. 95, 120–122).
Among he membe s o he Twi e eli e unde he s udy (i.e. membe s o poli ical and media eli es who
had a Twi e accoun in 2013), he e was no signi ican di e ence be ween he ep esen a ion o women
and men. Based on ou indings, he in e ac ions be ween he poli ical eli e and op-le el poli ical jou nalis s
we e ela i ely equen , e en hough he poli icians and jou nalis s also had hei own inclusi e ne wo ks.
I would appea ha Twi e is a new o um o communica ion be ween eli es. Howe e , i also ep esen s
a new ype o online public sphe e, whe e e en communica ion be ween eli es is public.
Finally, he e is some o e lap o he ne wo ks o poli icians and jou nalis s (Fig. 3). The s udy combined he
lis s o he op 50 Twi e accoun s ollowed by he jou nalis s and he op 50 Twi e accoun s ollowed by
he poli icians. The op 50 ‘ wee e s o ollow’ lis shows ha 23 ou o 50 accoun s appea on bo h lis s,
making hese Twi e use s in luen ial in he ields o bo h media and poli ics. On a e age, poli icians and
jou nalis s ollow 440 Twi e accoun s. The op 10 mos popula wee e s ollowed by poli icians, jou nalis s
085 Ii is Ruoho, Jaana Kuusipalo Obse a o io (OBS*) Jou nal, (2019)
2
The publica ion
Twi e poli ics – democ acy, ep esen a ion and equali y in he new online public sphe es o poli ics
(Ruoho, Kuusipalo, Vainikka, & Huh amäki 2014) is a summa y o he main esul s o he c oss-disciplina y esea ch
p ojec ”Democ acy, Poli ical Rep esen a ion and Equali y in New Online Publici ies o Poli ical Communica ion”. This
p ojec unded by
The Founda ion o Helsingin Sanoma
was led by Ii is Ruoho and
conduc ed in he Tampe e Resea ch
Cen e o Jou nalism, Media and Communica ion (COMET) in 2013-2014 . The p ojec included wo sub p ojec s: he
one on Twi e ne wo ks be ween op-le el poli icians and poli ical jou nalis s (Ruoho & Kuusipalo 2018; Vainikka &
Huh amäki 2015) and he o he ocusing on he use o Twi e in he elec o al campaigns o he Finnish candida es o
he Eu opean Pa lamen a y Elec ions in 2014 (Railo & Vainikka 2017). Wha his a icle adds o he p e ious publica ions
men ioned abo e, is an analysis and discussion o he new ways in which social media ea icula es he p ac ices and
concep s o poli ical communica ion and ep esen a ion in he con ex o eli e esea ch.
3
In his s udy, he Twi e da a we e e ie ed h ough he Twi e API using a ailo ed ba ch p ocessing sc ip in Py hon.
The ne wo k was isualised using he open sou ce ne wo k isualisa ion so wa e Gephi. We used o ce-di ec ed g aph-
d awing algo i hms o he isualisa ion. In such algo i hms, nodes epel each o he and edges ac as sp ings d awing he
nodes owa ds each o he . When hese o ces a e le o ope a e o e a pe iod, he nodes ha ha e mo e connec ions
appea close o each o he in he esul ing layou .
4
When he da a we e collec ed (2013), he ou la ges poli ical pa ies in Finland we e, in o de , he Na ional Coali ion
Pa y (Kokoomus), he Social Democ a ic Pa y o Finland, he Finns (Pe ussuomalaise ) and he Cen e Pa y (Suomen
keskus a). The smalle poli ical pa ies included he Le Alliance o Finland (Vasemmis olii o), he G eens o Finland
(Vih eä lii o), he Swedish People’s Pa y (Suomen uo salainen kansanpuolue) and he Ch is ian Democ a s (Suomen
K is illisdemok aa i ).
5
When he da a we e collec ed (2013), he Finnish go e nmen was led by Jy ki Ka ainen (Na ional Coali ion). Apa om
he Na ional Coali ion Pa y (6 cabine minis e s: 4 men and 2 women) and Social Democ a ic Pa y (6 cabine minis e s:
2 men and 4 women), he Le Alliance (2 cabine minis e s: 1 man and 1 woman), G eens (2 men) and Swedish People’s
Pa y (1 man and 1 woman) each had wo cabine minis e s, and he Ch is ian Democ a s had one emale cabine minis e .
6
In o de o popula i y: (1) @MikaelJungne , ou side he sample; (2) @alexs ubb, poli ician; (3) @Ju aU pilainen,
poli ician; (4) @jmpen ikainen, ou side he sample; (5) @AnniSinnemaki, ou side he sample; (6) @an ikaikkonen,
ou side he sample; (7) @ma kojunkka i, jou nalis ; (8) @paa oa hinmaki, poli ician; (9) @juhasipila, poli ician; (10)
@Ta jaHalonen, ou side he sample.
