MEPs political communication strategies online: a case study of MEPs elected in Lithuania

Abstract

This article contributes to the wide-ranging academic debate on the lack of interest European citizens have in European Union policies and the efforts of politicians to increase citizen attention to EU affairs. The focus of our research on the communication of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs)1 during a non-election period is rather new and not studied intensively, especially in ‘new Member States’ of the European Union. The aim of this study is to examine and compare the online political communication strategies of 9th-term MEPs elected in Lithuania, explaining how they communicate with their constituents during a non election period and how much attention they pay to European affairs through their online channels. The research combines qualitative research methods (interviews with MEPs, content analysis of their Facebook profiles) and a quantitative public opinion poll. The latter survey reported that Lithuanian citizens have not enough information on the EP and MEP activities. However, MEPs believe that the issue is not a lack of information but rather a lack of interest among citizens in EP matters. The analysis of social media messages indicates that messages on MEP activities usually comprise slightly less than half of MEPs Facebook posts. However, the article shows that the daily communication of MEPs has the potential to increase the interest of citizens in EU politics and contribute to greater knowledge of EP matters, but the majority of MEPs must rethink their communication strategies.