Students
Julie Salvador Alonso
Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
Communication
Program:
Doctorate
Supervisor:
Mireille Lalancette
Start:
2026
End:
2030
Project
Title: The political figure of the future: Closer to the electorate? Proximity in political representation on social media
In a context where social media platforms are transforming political communication practices and, in doing so, redefining the very nature of political representation, my doctoral research examines the role, forms, and implications of proximity in the construction of online political leadership in Quebec and Canadian political contexts.
Building on Ceccobelli and Di Gregorio’s (2022) triangle of leadership and the work of Lalancette and Bélanger (2026), this doctoral project is structured around the following questions: What is the role of proximity in political representation from a longitudinal perspective? If embodying successful leadership can pose a challenge for certain types of political figures (Lalancette et al., 2023; Trimble et al., 2015), what is the relationship between perceptions of proximity and the éthos préalable (“prior ethos”) attributed to political figures (Amossy, 2010, p. 72)? Finally, how do new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools contribute to shaping a desirable political image on social media, and to what extent is the image projected on social media considered legitimate?
Building on Ceccobelli and Di Gregorio’s (2022) triangle of leadership and the work of Lalancette and Bélanger (2026), this doctoral project is structured around the following questions: What is the role of proximity in political representation from a longitudinal perspective? If embodying successful leadership can pose a challenge for certain types of political figures (Lalancette et al., 2023; Trimble et al., 2015), what is the relationship between perceptions of proximity and the éthos préalable (“prior ethos”) attributed to political figures (Amossy, 2010, p. 72)? Finally, how do new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools contribute to shaping a desirable political image on social media, and to what extent is the image projected on social media considered legitimate?