Analysing Visual Politics of Populism in EP 2024 Audiovisual Data

The paper explores the visual politics of populism in the context of the 2024 European Parliament elections, with a particular focus on audiovisual data collected from France. Drawing on a methodological approach grounded in visual analysis, the study investigates the affective and narrative structures of campaign videos shared on TikTok and Instagram. These platforms, which have become central to political communication, offer unique insights into how visual media is utilized to shape political discourse and engage voters, especially within populist campaigns. The paper provides an overview of the types of videos used in political campaigns across both the right and left spectrums of politics, highlighting the distinct strategies employed by populist movements in these ideological spheres. In particular, the research explores how populist campaigns use affective appeal to forge strong emotional connections with their audiences, often through the strategic portrayal of fear, hope, identity, or solidarity