Digital Duel. Top 5 games in the Romanian online space in the last month
PNL and PSD registered a significantly increased visibility in online conversations compared to the previous month, with the Liberals overtaking the Social Democrats in the top mentions of the parties from relevant online and social media sources, according to data processed using the media intelligence platform NewsVibe. The end of the holiday period, but especially the official designation of candidates for the presidential election, explains the intensification of online reflection of party communications and public disputes between parties. USR also rose, while AUR and SOS Romania saw slight decreases.
The debates surrounding the presidential elections, focused on the formalization of candidates, as well as the discussions related to the evolution of relations in the governing coalition in the electoral context, together with important government issues (such as the recalculation of pensions), have particularly contributed to the increased visibility of the parties in the governing coalition.In the top of mentions made in relevant online and social media sources in Romania, PNL and PSD occupy the top positions, with the liberal party clearly outpacing the social democrats during this period (unlike previous analyses). At a significant distance follow USR (with one third of the volume of mentions about the liberals), AUR and SOS Romania. While PSD, PNL and USR have increased in visibility, AUR and SOS Romania have suffered a decline, more pronounced in the case of the party led by Diana Șoșoaca.
Top 5 parties by online visibility
- National Liberal Party - 11,146 mentions
- Social Democratic Party - 10,334 mentions
- Save Romania Union - 3,721 mentions
- Alianța pentru Unirea Românilor - 1.703 mentions
- SOS Romania - 185 mentions
Note - only mentions from relevant online and social media sources (sources validated by the NewsVibe platform)
Significant peaks in mentions are mainly found in the case of PSD and PNL, being generated by the designation of presidential candidates from the two parties. In the case of the PNL, two comparable moments marked these peaks: the BPN vote in August and the National Council vote in mid-September, both of which are procedural steps to formalize the presidential candidacy.
For both parties, the maximum number of mentions was reached during the enlarged meetings (PSD Congress and PNL National Council), events that finalized the statutory procedures for nominating presidential candidates. In contrast, mentions of the other parties remained constant, with no notable peaks, and SOS Romania is well below the other parties in the rankings, as in the previous month.
Graphic NewsVibe. Comparison of the number of mentions generated in relevant online and Facebook news sources by the main 5 parties over the last month
The two parties - PNL and PSD - also generate the mentions with the highest estimated impact (i.e. potential views, determined based on an algorithm created by NewsVibe). In the case of impact, the hierarchy of mentions is also maintained, with a plus for USR and AUR. Mentions about SOS Romania have much less potential impact.
NewsVibe charts. Share of the number of mentions (left) and impact of mentions (right) about each of the parties, respectively, of the cumulative total of mentions about all five
Mentions about PSD with the highest potential cumulative impact were generated during the party's Congress, when Marcel Ciolacu was nominated as the party's candidate for the Romanian presidency. Next in the top of impact are mentions of the two meetings in the PNL related to the designation of Nicolae Ciucă as presidential candidate.
Other notable spikes in impact over the last month have been related either to exchanges within the coalition, in the new electoral context, or to governance topics, especially for PSD. There were also increases in the impact of mentions of USR, which came almost exclusively from this party's leaders' reactions to the actions or messages of PSD and PNL leaders.
AUR and SOS Romania did not register significant spikes in terms of the impact of mentions.
Grafic NewsVibe. Comparison of the level of impact generated in relevant online and Facebook news sources by mentions of the top 5 matches, over the last month
With regard to the acceleration trend - increase in the rate at which mentions appear, a significant acceleration is observed for PSD at the beginning of the interval, for PNL both at the beginning and at the end, and for USR in the first part of the period analyzed.
However, PSD stands out in particular due to the major interest generated by the August Congress, at which Marcel Ciolacu was nominated as candidate for the Romanian presidency.
Grafic NewsVibe. Moments of accelerated growth in the volume of mentions of the top 5 games over the past month in relevant online and Facebook media sources.
*****Summary compiled using a monitoring feed provided by NewsVibe Romania. The analysis, data and images presented were enhanced with Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence tools.
