What is in a 'Like'? Political content on Facebook and Instagram in the 2019 Valencian regional election

Over the last few years, social networks such as Facebook and Instagram have become the preferred places for political communication. On the one hand, political actors have incorporated them into their strategy as a channel through which they can share their messages. On the other hand, users have a space where they can take part and show their interest in political issues. This paper examines posts on Facebook and Instagram by the main Valencian political parties and their respective leaders in the election campaign. We analysed the nature of the content and users' ` likes' to reveal the functions and themes of the most popular posts and the use made of visual resources and interaction tools. The results show that the position of political actors influences the content with the most ` likes'. While supporters of opposition parties are most pleased by critical messages, followers of pro-government parties prefer messages that focus on management success. At the same time, issues focusing on social policies and election campaign issues are those that generate the most 'likes' among the public. Likewise, both visual aids (such as photographs and videos), and hashtags and links help boost users' approval.