Interacting with the ordinary people: How populist messages and styles communicated by politicians trigger users’ behaviour on social media in a comparative context

Abstract

Populist politicians’ social media activity has often been associated with their electoral success. Yet, research on the driving forces of engagement on social media is scarce. Are populist politicians triggering more interaction than mainstream politicians, or is it rather the populist ideology they convey? To disentangle these different factors, we conducted a comparative content analysis of Twitter and Facebook communication of 13 leading candidates in Austria and the Netherlands during an election campaign. Findings show that it is rather styles conductive to populism (i.e. emotionality, first-person references) than the actual content of populist communication that trigger online behaviour. Importantly, irrespective of the content they convey, right-wing populist politicians are more successful in spreading their message via social media than mainstream politicians. These findings have important implications for our understanding of the role of online communication for populist politicians’ success in spreading their viewpoints across networked societies.

Confianza en la comunicación de la pandemia. Percepciones de los ciudadanos españoles de la gestión gubernamental de la información sobre la Covid-19

“…In this time of social and health crises, populist communication can spread easily because of its direct effect on the negativity, emotionality, and sociability of citizens (Ernst et al, 2019). These populist styles can be used to "package" the division between the people and elite in a more credible and attractive way, i.e., the central argument of "us and them" (Hameleers et al, 2020). A clear effect in Spain during the rapid spread of Covid-19 was the "blame game" regarding political responsibility, where each political force tried to build its own framing and communication strategy (Garrido-Rubia; Martínez-Rodríguez; Mora-Rodríguez, 2020).…”

“Truth Decay” and Populism: Eroding Democracy in the 21st Century

“…Many individuals who feel economically marginalized have turned to populist leaders who promise to address their grievances and restore their economic security (Berman, 2021). Additionally, the increased interconnectedness through digital platforms has facilitated the rapid spread of populist rhetoric and narratives (Hameleers et al, 2020). Populist leaders have been adept at leveraging these platforms to directly communicate with their supporters, bypassing traditional media channels and reinforcing their messaging.…”