The Facebook image of candidates for the office of the Mayor of Rzeszów and the electoral preferences of voters

Abstract

The 2018 local elections in Rzeszów ended with the victory of Tadeusz Ferenc, who as a city presidential candidate was elected the president of the capital of Podkarpacie for the fifth time. The Internet and social media, primarily Facebook, played an important role during the election campaign. Cyberspace has become a place of increased political activity and rivalry for the electorate's support. New media are slowly but consistently replacing traditional media and thus enforce the use of modern methods of conducting election campaigns on people who aspire to perform public duties. In the era of modern technology, the impact of the World Wide Web as well as the proper use of the Internet and social media might decide electoral success. However, it should be noted that it is not its ultimate guarantor. Nowadays, activity on social media such as Facebook is only an addition to the traditional campaign and only in connection with such a campaign can it bring the intended effect.