Despite the relevance of personalization in research in Political Communication, as well as other fields of study, there is a state of confusion in the literature on the concept. The main reason is that there is no consensus around a widely shared definition. In addition, the personalization of politics can be approached from different perspectives, corresponding to the main actors involved in the political processes, that is, the media system, the political system and the citizens. Consequently, the results and conclusions are varied and, even occasionally, disparate. Therefore, this lack of conceptual clarity represents a limitation for progressing in the study of personalization. Hence the aim of this research is to propose a definition serving as a reference for further studies on this phenomenon.

Despite the relevance of personalization in research in Political Communication, as well as other fields of study, there is a state of confusion in the literature on the concept. The main reason is that there is no consensus around a widely shared definition. In addition, the personalization of politics can be approached from different perspectives, corresponding to the main actors involved in the political processes, that is, the media system, the political system and the citizens. Consequently, the results and conclusions are varied and, even occasionally, disparate. Therefore, this lack of conceptual clarity represents a limitation for progressing in the study of personalization. Hence the aim of this research is to propose a definition serving as a reference for further studies on this phenomenon.

The presence of candidates in politainment programs during electoral campaigns has already become a general practice in Spain. Considering that the vast majority of reactions on social media refer to the content or guests of television programs (D'heer & Verdegem, 2014), these reactions can be used to determine to what extent these shows contribute to improving the political knowledge of each candidate through the eyes of the audience (Boukes & Trilling, 2017). This research is based on some previous studies supporting the impact of political infotainment programs on promoting political engagement among the social audience, (Moy, Xenos & Hess, 2005) and in terms of benefits for politicians regarding their public image and outreach to new audiences (Teruel, 2016). However, this study aims to go further, specifying what type of content promotes greater public involvement. ...