Expressions of digital citizen identity on Facebook and Twitter. The case of the Saltillo, Coahuila’s municipal government

Abstract

Based on the observation of the comments made to the official and personal accounts on Facebook and Twitter of the mayor of Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico; an identification is made of the way in which the expression of the digital citizen identity takes place from four variables: support, opposition, demands and proposals. The most outstanding results obtained from a quantitativedescriptive perspective suggest that this identity manifests itself mainly from expressions of demand towards the solution of issues related to the services provided by he city council (security, public lighting, etc.), as a sign of citizen identity. In contrast, proposal-related entries are much less frequent. It is concluded that the participation manifested in the observed platforms reflects a relevant collective sense of identity that its more evident in terms of the immediate spatial contexts (such as the neighborhood or the neighborhood), than in relation to broader areas (such as the region), depending on the platforms observed.