Populist Communication and Digital Media

Abstract

Populist politicians have proved to be remarkably adept at engaging with the public on social media, and this interaction plays out in numerous different ways. This panel will explore a broad range of populist political communication in the realm of digital media, considering the issue from the sides of both the politicians themselves and their potential supporters. One paper will look at the demand side of populism, investigating how supporters of a Polish political movement engage on Facebook. Another will turn to the French National Front in order to look at the professionalization of a successful populist party and the links between populist parties and online activists. Finally, the third paper will explore a rapidly expanding and very important topic in studies of populism: the power of emotions in populist communications. These papers rely on a variety of different theoretical and methodological approaches, and they are sure to provoke a productive discussion on the present and future of populist communication.