DIGITAL DEMOCRACY AND SOCIAL MEDIA: THE INFLUENCE OF FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM ON THE 2024 MUNICIPAL ELECTION FOR COUNCILOR IN THE CITY OF MARÍLIA (SP)

Abstract

The objective of this article is to analyze whether the number of followers on Facebook and Instagram influenced the number of votes and, consequently, the election of candidates elected for councilor in the city of Marília, in the 2024 election. The method used was deductive, as well as statistical analyses were performed from an analytical observational design. Initially, considerations are made about the modalities of democracy, with emphasis on representative, participatory and deliberative democracy, to then evaluate how such modalities can be increased in their results from digital democracy, resulting from the use of the internet and, in particular, social media. In the end, it was possible to verify that popularity on social networks, especially on Instagram, exerts a significant influence on the number of votes of the candidates, revealing a strong and positive correlation between these variables.