How much do Georgian politicians spend on social media advertising? A study by ISFED
The International Society for fair Elections and democracy (ISFED) presented a quarterly review of the amount of advertising placed on Facebook and Instagram platforms in Georgia, identifying the clients and their expenses.
According to ISFED, from October 1 to December 23, 2023, a total of at least $91,063 and no more than $94,528 were spent on advertising the pages of political parties and their representatives on these social networks.
The top spenders on advertising were:
- The office of the State Minister for Reconciliation and Civic Equality;
- The ruling party “Georgian Dream”;
- Former Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
Most parties spent more on advertising in October-December 2023 than in the previous quarter.
From October 1 to December 29, 2023, on Facebook and Instagram platforms, social-political advertising was placed on 846 pages for users in Georgia, which is 288 more than in the previous quarter. The total cost of the published ads amounts to $279,441, which is $113,606 more than in the previous quarter.
- Transparency International: ‘Georgian Dream’ received $3.6 million in donations in the first three months of 2023″
- The Georgian parliament approved the new government, with Irakli Kobakhidze as the new prime minister
During the monitoring period, the posts that were most actively promoted were those published on the Facebook page of the “Georgia First” movement.
The promoted content primarily consisted of materials supporting the government, with anti-Western sentiment, implicitly pro-Russian, anti-Ukrainian, anti-liberal, and homophobic narratives.
The posts focused on the inefficiency of Western sanctions against Russia, Russia’s economic stability, the alleged inevitability of Ukraine’s defeat in the war, distortion of gender and sexual identity in the USA and EU countries, etc.
