Barcelona, 18 December 2019. Last September 21 was the first anniversary of the signing of the agreement between the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and the communication consultant, ideograma, which gave rise to the Ideograma - UPF Chair in Political Communication and Democracy. During this year several research initiatives, studies and conferences have been developed, open to the media, experts, students and the general public.

Two researches on the credibility of political information in the digital environment

One of the main objectives of the Chair is to work on new communication channels, find out how politics and public institutions use platforms such as Twitter, Instagram or Facebook, among others. Within this framework, during 2019, two research projects have been presented that have had a full impact on the electoral context in Spain, and which are available for consultation:

Analysis of the credibility of political information in the digital environment (Facebook, WhatsApp, digital press and television) and Study on the use of WhatsApp as a political information tool. YouGov Spain participated in both investigations.

As the director of the Chair, Carles Pont-Sorribes, pointed out at the time, the research carried out by the Chair focuses not only on political communication, but also on institutional communication: "We want to link our work to democratic quality, to the essential values of what could be a society fully identified with democratic values. We must move towards social responsibility while communicating in politics and in institutions.

Connecting  with the academic and professional worlds

Antoni Gutiérrez-Rubí, director and founder of ideograma, and promoter of the Chair, stressed the importance of @bastir between the academic and the professional, "we fly and firmly believe in the coexistence and close relationship of both worlds. This Chair has been promoted with the vocation of promoting training, research and the dissemination of knowledge in the field of political communication and its effects on democratic systems, and it is in this sense that we are committed to the design and development of different types of activities that will configure our Chair as a reference player in Spain and internationally".

Positive balance of the first year of activity

The presentation of the first year of activities and research of the Chair took place last December 11 at the UPF. The report of activities for the academic year 2018-2019 was presented and some 2020 projects were advanced.

Antoni Gutiérrez-Rubí, director and founder of ideograma.

First year of the Chair's activities and research Report of activities for the 2018-2019 academic year and projects for 2020.

Among the initiatives that will see the light in the coming months, we highlight the launch of the book Instagram en la estrategia de construcción del liderazgo político, with different authors, and with the help of Editorial Gedisa and the continuity of the research, which will go into new areas linked to political communication, from different focuses and with new collaborations.

Downloadable version, here.

More information:

Ideogram-UPF Chair of Political Communication and Democracy

[email protected]

+ 34 935 422 344