This paper addresses the changing shape of contemporary populism in the age of ‘communicative abundance’. Arguing that the increasing ubiquity of populism around the globe is intricately tied to the kinds of changes and processes outlined by John Keane in his Democracy and Media Decadence, the paper demonstrates how populism marries the tendencies of media logic with central political processes of representation and decision-making, making it a media-political form par excellence at this particular historical juncture. It particularly focuses on the different ways that populist actors attempt to harness the flows of this new media-political landscape – either through control of media channels or embrace of ‘celebrity culture’ – as well as the effect that the rise of new media has had on populism. In doing so, it considers how these changing modes of appealing to ‘the people’ have both democratic and anti-democratic effects.
