Northern Ireland parties spent tens of thousands of pounds on targeted social media ads in the run-up to the local government elections.
More than 80 adverts were posted from the official Facebook and Instagram accounts of the parties and their leaders between March and polling day on May 18.
The cost of the promoted social media posts aimed at persuading voters was up to £41,000, according to a Belfast Live analysis of the Meta ad library.
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Sinn Féin, which emerged from the election as the largest party at council level for the first time, spent more than all other parties combined.
Its spending hit up to £24,000 across its main party accounts and their vice-president Michelle O'Neill's Facebook and Instagram profiles.
The party ran 18 types of ads across Ms O'Neill's accounts costing up to £18,000 and 13 on the main Sinn Féin accounts worth up to £6,000.
Alliance, which became the third-largest party, had the second-most number of adverts on its main accounts with 24 at a cost of up to £6,000.
The SDLP spent up to £6,500 but on only eight ads during the period.
The DUP, which now has the second-largest number of council seats, ran just two promoted posts costing up to £1,100.
TUV spent up to £1,500 on eight social media ads and the Ulster Unionists had none on their main account.
The Green Party spent up to £1,600 on eight posts and Aontú spent under £100 for one advertisement. People Before Profit had no election ads on its main accounts.
The figures are for social media adverts issued from the parties' main accounts and leaders' profiles on Facebook and Instagram.
However, individual candidates and local party branches may have also posted ads from their own accounts.
For instance, there were around 17 ads costing up to £1,700 on the pages of some individual People Before Profit candidates in the election.
Sinn Féin's ads included short videos on election day encouraging people to use their vote to "send a clear signal to get the Assembly back up and running" and vote for "positive leadership".
The DUP used social media to promote a clip of party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson speaking at their manifesto launch in South Belfast.
The ad included text which read: "Strengthen our hand as we seek to finish the job of restoring Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom."
Alliance Party ads featured slogans including "end ransom politics" and, "Send a message and vote for politics that works."
Some targeted ads promoted candidates in specific district electoral areas, pitching the individuals as a "progressive new voice" for the locality.
The SDLP's ads included several on polling day featuring an image of party leader Colum Eastwood and South Belfast MP Claire Hanna.
Voters were encouraged in the social media posts to support the party to "deal with the cost-of-living crisis, clean up our communities and finally crack down on the influence of paramilitaries".
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