Una de las funciones de Twitter es el etiquetado digital denominado: hashtag. A través de las etiquetas, ordena y clasifica los mensajes de esta plataforma de redes sociales. El objetivo de esta investigación es estudiar el fenómeno del etiquetado social conocido como hashtag activism (activismo de etiquetas) como impulsores de la participación cívica, respondiendo la pregunta: ¿cómo entender la participación cívica online a través del etiquetado social en redes socio digitales? Nuestra metodología hace un análisis cualitativo de 33 casos representativos de las etiquetas #Ladies y #Lords utilizadas en México que realizan un escrutinio social desde el 2011. Concluimos que el etiquetado digital impacta en la participación cívica y la comunicación en la sociedad de la información.

Social media has transformed election campaigns around the world. While it is difficult to determine to what extent social media influence voters' decisions, there is no doubt that social media platforms impact on candidate advertising and public debate during elections. This research, the methodological formulation of which is based on a case study, seeks to investigate the use of social media during political campaigns to collect signatures of support. In the elections of 2018, aspiring candidates for presidential election required a certain number of signatures of support in order to register as official candidates. We collected social media data on a weekly basis from the Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts of seven candidates and contrasted this data with the number of signatures validated by the electoral authority. We found no relationship between the level of support received and the use of social media in the case of any of the candidates. However, we observed candidates who did achieve the required number of signatures and who did receive official presidential candidate status as a result of their high level of visibility. This research contributes methodologically to the current literature and provides empirical evidence regarding independent candidates in Mexico.

Social media has transformed election campaigns around the world. While it is difficult to determine to what extent social media influence voters' decisions, there is no doubt that social media platforms impact on candidate advertising and public debate during elections. This research, the methodological formulation of which is based on a case study, seeks to investigate the use of social media during political campaigns to collect signatures of support. In the elections of 2018, aspiring candidates for presidential election required a certain number of signatures of support in order to register as official candidates. We collected social media data on a weekly basis from the Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts of seven candidates and contrasted this data with the number of signatures validated by the electoral authority. We found no relationship between the level of support received and the use of social media in the case of any of the candidates. However, we observed candidates who did achieve the required number of signatures and who did receive official presidential candidate status as a result of their high level of visibility. This research contributes methodologically to the current literature and provides empirical evidence regarding independent candidates in Mexico.