Dimensiones para la Evaluación de la Comunicación Política en Colombia: Una Propuesta Conceptual

Abstract

This article aimed to explain why it is essential to systematically evaluate institutional political communication in Colombia, understanding it not as an operational dissemination tool but as a structural component of political action and democratic governance. The study was based on the premise that what is not measured cannot be improved and combined a theoretical review with an analysis of the national context. The findings showed that declining public trust in institutions, the spread of disinformation, and the emergence of artificial intelligence and deepfakes have increased the risks affecting public discourse and institutional communication. At the same time, existing evaluation approaches remain limited to operational indicators such as media coverage, message frequency, and the number of followers, failing to capture the actual effectiveness of political communication. To address this gap, four analytical dimensions were identified: (1) citizen participation and feedback, requiring genuine mechanisms for listening and responding; (2) narrative and language, assessed in terms of clarity, inclusiveness, and their ability to create political meaning; (3) multichannel communication, referring to the consistency and timeliness of messages across different platforms; and (4) message reception, focused on public understanding, reach, and real impact on citizens. The study concluded that these dimensions provide an initial conceptual framework, which still requires empirical validation and adaptation to different levels of government, for developing a political communication benchmarking model that integrates both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Evaluating the voice of political power should not be understood as a technocratic control mechanism but as a means of strengthening transparency and democratic legitimacy.