International Journal of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication

The Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication (한국인터넷방송통신학회)
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APP campaigning: How presidential candidates present themselves by LINE and the responses of voters in the 2016 Taiwanese presidential election

  • Received : 2017.01.13
  • Accepted : 2017.01.31
  • Published : 2017.02.28
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Abstract

LINE, an instant message App with a powerful capability of transmitting various forms of data, has been overwhelmed in Asia since launched in 2011. Due to its popularity, LINE was first used in the 2016 Taiwanese presidential election. This research utilized a functional approach of campaign communication discourse and political visual images to analyze how candidates managed and presented themselves by textual and visual information on LINE. Regarding the textual information, results revealed their strategy inclined to reverse gender stereotype because the female candidate emphasized policy over character, while the male emphasized character over policy. Both candidates did not fully employ ten image functions because they utilized mostly the emotional and image building functions. The female candidate message achieved the largest total amount of 'like' and 'share'. This study probes into the App campaigning and improve the feasibility and practicability to share knowledge of political communication by new media.

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References

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