Social Media and Politics
News & Politics
About
Social Media and Politics is a podcast bringing you innovative, first-hand insights into how social media is changing the political game. Subscribe for interviews and analysis with politicians, academics, and leading digital strategists to get their take on how social media influences the ways we engage with politics and democracy. Social Media and Politics is hosted by Michael Bossetta, political scientist at Lund University. Check out the podcast's official website: https://socialmediaandpolitics.org.
Episodes
- Digital Campaigning without Social Media Ads in Europe: Political Visibility under the TTPA, with Jochen König
Jochen König , Co-Founder and CEO of Cosmonauts & Kings, discusses the Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) regulation. We break down the current state of TTPA implementation and its implications for digital political…
- When AI Systems Meet Democratic Governance, with Bruce Schneier and Nathan Sanders
Bruce Schneier and Dr. Nathan Sanders discuss Rewiring Democracy: How AI Will Transform Our Politics, Government, and Citizenship (MIT Press). Bruce and Nathan share how AI becomes viable for governments when the speed, scale, scope, and s…
- Independent Journalism in a Fragmented Media System, with Jacob Ward
Jacob Ward , accomplished journalist and host of The Rip Current, joins the podcast to discuss independent journalism in today’s fragmented media environment. We begin with a conversation about whether the “news cycle” still makes sense, b…
- Publicity Politicians, Public Opinion, and the Birth of Media Politics, with Dr. Betto van Waarden
Dr. Betto van Waarden, Assistant Professor of History at Maastricht University, discusses his new book Politicians and Mass Media in the Age of Empire . We begin by charting the technological developments of the 19th century and how it inf…
- 2025 Year in Review! Social Media and Politics, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
The 10th Annual Social Media and Politics Year in Review! This year, we cover the platforms’ year in review reports, the EU's regulation on transparency of targeted ads, meta approaches to platforms, and implications of the synthetic publi…
- Digitally Organizing People Power: Inside Solidarity Tech, with Ivan Pardo
Ivan Pardo, Founder of Solidarity Tech , shares how tech can solve organizing bottlenecks for political campaigns. We discuss how Solidarity Tech was used for digital organizing in Zohran Mamdani's mayoral campaign in New York and Catherin…
- Temporal Validity, Knowledge Decay, and the Meta 2020 Election Research Partnership, with Dr. Kevin Munger
Dr. Kevin Munger, Assistant Professor and Chair of Computational Social Science in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute, discusses the concept of temporal validity in social media research. D…
- Crafting Political Storytelling with Qualitative Methods and AI, with Frank A. Spring
Frank A. Spring, founding partner at Altum Insight and managing partner of Undaunted Ventures , shares how qualitative methods can understand the stories voters tell themselves about politics. Frank discusses his work using AI-moderated in…
- Teaching Political Communication: A Database, Game, and Assignment
In this episode, I share some initiatives to help in improving the teaching and learning of political communication. Political Communication Teaching Database and the upload page . Meta Oversight Board Game Counterfactual Case Study
- Election Forecasting, Prediction Markets, and Gamification, with Prof. Matthew Wall and Dr. Louis Bromfield
Professor Matthew Wall and Dr. Louis Bromfield, both at the Department of Politics, Philosophy, and International Relations at Swansea University, discuss election forecasting. We cover different types of political forecasting, such as pol…
- Content Moderation with Out-of-Court Dispute Settlement Bodies, with Thomas Hughes
Thomas Hughes, CEO of Appeals Centre Europe , explains out-of-court dispute settlement bodies (ODS bodies) and the role they play in the Digital Services Act. We discuss Appeals Centre Europe's first Transparency Report *, which provides a…
- How the EU is Shielding Elections from Disinformation, Manipulation, and AI, with Jakub Szymik
Jakub Szymik, Founder of CEE Digital Democracy Watch , discusses the EU's ongoing initiatives to fight disinformation, regulate political advertising, and protect election integrity on social media. Jakub shares his insights on the Digital…
- Detecting Disinformation, Fake Accounts, and Inauthentic Behavior on Social Media, with Dan Brahmy
Dan Brahmy, Co-Founder and CEO at Cyabra , discusses the cutting-edge in disinformation monitoring. Dan shares some of Cyabra's work around the new pope, the tariff war, and narratives following the Trump assassination attempt. We discuss…
- Youth Political Expression on Social Media, with Dr. Neta Kligler-Vilenchik and Dr. Ioana Literat
Dr. Neta Kligler-Vilenchik and Dr. Ioana Literat share research from their new book Not Your Parent's Politics: Understanding Young People's Political Expression on Social Media . We discuss how young people use social media such as TikTok…
- Journalism, Digital Fragmentation, and Fact-checking, with Neil Brown
Neil Brown , President of the Poytner Institute for Media Studies, discusses the challenges facing journalism. We discuss the concept of media trust, changing revenue models, and the challenges for journalism posed by digital fragmentation…
- AI and Political Campaigns, with Dr. Michael D. Cohen
Dr. Michael D. Cohen , CEO of Cohen Research Group and author of Modern Political Campaigns , shares how artificial intelligence is impacting political campaigns. We discuss how AI is like an automated staffer, and what types of human invo…
- Political Polling in a Partisan United States, with Doug Kaplan
Doug Kaplan, President of Kaplan Strategies , discusses the utility of political polling for local, state, and national races. We discuss the value of polls when partisanship is high, the changing political communication landscape, and Flo…
- Digital Media Metaphors and Social Media Buzzwords, with Dr. Johan Farkas and Dr. Marcus Maloney
Dr. Johan Farkas and Dr. Marcus Maloney discuss how the language used to describe digital media frames our understanding and the actions of policymakers. We break down how terms like "toxic", "trolls", and "filter bubbles" are often used u…
- 2024 Year in Review! Social Media and Politics, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
The 9th Annual Social Media and Politics Year in Review! This year, we cover the platforms’ year in review reports, election interference in Romania, the battle over text and the "eXodus", and social media bans for teenagers. Here are link…
- Political Influencers in the 2024 US Election and Beyond, with Ryan Davis
Ryan Davis, Co-founder and Chief Operating Officer at People First , guests for a debrief on content creators in the 2024 US election. We discuss content creator strategies between the two parties, how influencers have become professionali…
- Media Systems, Digital Media, and the Hybridity Cycle, with Prof. Daniel Hallin
Professor Daniel C. Hallin , Distinguished Professor of Communication at UC San Diego, shares his thoughts on media systems and how digital media relates to the concept. We discuss the components of a 'system' and current debates around th…
- Countering Project 2025 with Google Search Ads, with Kindred Motes
Kindred Motes, Founder and Managing Partner at KM Strategies Group (KMSG) , shares his advocacy work to counter the online reach of Project 2025. Working with the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism, KMSG launched a paid campaign on…
- Web Browsing Data to Study Digital Political Behavior, with Prof. Sebastian Stier
Prof. Sebastian Stier , Scientific Director of Computational Social Science at GESIS and Professor of CSS at the University of Mannheim, discusses how web tracking data can inform social science questions. We discuss the data structure of…
- Micro-Influencer Marketing for Political Campaigns, with Ryan Davis
Ryan Davis, Co-Founder of People First , discusses how "micro-influencers" or "micro-creators" are being used in political campaigns. We discuss the benefits of using micro-influencers for engagement, as well as how they can be used to tar…
- Far Right Women Influencers on YouTube and Instagram, with Dr. Eviane Leidig
Dr. Eviane Leidig , Marie Curie postdoctoral fellow at Tilburg University, discusses her book " The Women of the Far Right: Social Media Influencers and Online Radicalization ." We break down the role of social media for the alt-right move…
- Wikipedia Public Relations for Politics, Brands, and Crisis Communication, with Rhiannon Ruff
Rhiannon Ruff , Wikipedia Expert and Founding Partner at Lumino , discusses how politicians and brands can effectively manage their Wikipedia presence. We discuss why Wikipedia is important for Google Search and AI like ChatGPT, and how th…
- Race, Racism, and Resistance on Social Media, with Dr. Rob Eschmann
Dr. Rob Eschmann , Associate Professor of Social Work at Columbia University, discusses his latest book When the Hood Comes Off: Racism and Resistance in the Digital Age (University of California Press). We cover how social media works to…
- Data-Driven Campaigning: How Political Campaigns use Data, Analytics, and Technology, with Prof. Kate Dommett and Dr. Simon Kruschinski
Prof. Kate Dommett , Professor of Digital Politics at the University of Sheffield, and Dr. Simon Kruschinski , Postdoctoral Researcher in Communication at the University of Mainz, discuss their new book: Data-Driven Campaigning and Politic…
- China's Digital Strategy for Information Control, with Dr. Andrew MacDonald
Dr. Andrew W. MacDonald , Assistant Professor of Social Science at Duke Kunshan University, shares research from his new book Directed Digital Dissidence in Autocracies: How China Wins Online . We discuss the Chinese digital and social med…
- 2023 Year in Review! Social Media and Politics, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
The 8th Annual Social Media and Politics Year in Review! This year, we cover the platforms' year in review reports, AI for political communication, the creator economy, and EU concerns around disinformation and cyberattacks. Here are links…
- Democracy, Architecture, and Social Media, with Dr. Jennifer Forestal
Dr. Jennifer Forestal , Assistant Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago, discusses how digital platforms can be approached from an architectural perspective. Dr. Forestal shares insights from her latest book, Designin…
- Covid Vaccine Hesitancy in Sweden, with Dr. Mia-Marie Hammarlin
Dr. Mia-Marie Hammarlin , Senior Lecturer in Media and Communication at Lund University, shares her research on vaccine hesitancy in Sweden. We discuss the major themes of coronavirus vaccine skepticism on the Swedish online forum Flashbac…
- Political Persuasion and the Effects of Targeted Social Media Ads, with Dr. Alexander Coppock
Dr. Alexander Coppock , Associate Professor of Political Science at Yale University, shares his research on measuring the political effects of persuasive information. We discuss how political persuasion affects voters holding different vie…
- Cross-Cutting Expression on Social Media: Brexit on Facebook, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten , Associate Professor in Strategic Communication at Lund University, joins a discussion of cross-cutting expression and its implications for digital campaigning on Facebook. On the theory side, we discuss conc…
- Negative Campaigning on Facebook in EU Elections, Cross-Platform Extremism, and Dissonant Public Spheres, with Prof. Ulrike Klinger
Prof. Ulrike Klinger , Professor for Digital Democracy at the European New School for Digital Studies at European University Viadrina, shares her latest research on negative campaigning on social media. We discuss some of the challenges in…
- Connecting Social Media Influencers with Political Campaigns, with Zach Fang
Zach Fang , Head of Sales and Business Development at Vocal Media , shares how the start-up is building a database of social media influencers to connect with political campaigns and organizations. We discuss what makes TikTok influencers…
- Digital Media Trends in American Political Campaigns, with Russell Mindich
Russell Mindich , political consultant and author of the 2022 Political Tech Landscape Report , shares his insights on the role of social media in political campaigning. We discuss social media influencers and how campaigns are connecting…
- Social Media, Democracy, and National Security, with Jenny Reich
Jenny Reich, Fellow at the Georgetown Law Center on National Security, discusses the Center's recent report entitled Social Media: The Canary in the Coal Mine . We dive into the potential security risks posed by digital technology developm…
- Progressive Big Tech Regulation and Advocacy, with Adam Kovacevich
Adam Kovacevich, Founder and CEO of Chamber of Progress , shares his trade association's goals for progressive advocacy in the tech sector. We discuss the politicization of 'Big Tech' and recent opinion polls about Midterm voters' attitude…
- Political Targeting, Strategic Communication, and Democracy, with Prof. Sanne Kruikemeier
Prof. Sanne Kruikemeier , Professor of Digital Media and Society at Wageningen University & Research, discusses her latest research on political targeting. We discuss how political targeting differs in EU and US contexts, how perceptions o…
- Digital Political Advertising Beyond Social Media, with Megan Clasen
Megan Clasen, Partner at Gambit Strategies , shares her insights into digital political advertising for persuasion and mobilization. We discuss the role of social media ads relative to CTV and OTT advertising, as well as how political ads…
- 2022 Year in Review! Social Media and Politics, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
The 7th Annual Social Media and Politics Podcast Year in Review! A Mega Episode with lots of knowledge bombs - you'll simply have to listen to hear them all! Here is a gift of all the platform year in review reports: Facebook: Protecting P…
- Social Media, Citizen Journalism, and Activism in Africa, with Prof. Bruce Mutsvairo
Prof. Bruce Mutsvairo , Professor of Media and Politics at Utrecht University, shares his insights on the role of social media and politics on the African continent. We discuss digital activism across countries, how structures like data bu…
- Data-driven Campaigning with Polling and Focus Groups in American Elections, with Zac McCrary
Zac McCrary , Partner at Impact Research and host of the Pro Politics podcast, shares his insights on how American campaigns leverage polling and focus groups to craft a winning message. We discuss the upcoming 2022 US midterm elections, t…
- Cross-Platform Visual Campaigning on Social Media: Emotions in Political Candidates' Facebook and Instagram Images
In this episode, it's just me! I present a recently published study, co-authored with Rasmus Schmøkel and published in Political Communication , that analyzes US Presidential campaigns' emotion expression across Facebook and Instagram. I'l…
- Data Journalism to Report Social Media and Politics, with Aleszu Bajak
Aleszu Bajak , Senior Data Reporter at USA Today, discusses his reporting on social media and politics using computational methods. We talk about the types of data that data journalists are working with, how they acquire it (e.g., Freedom…
- Swedish Elections 2022, Political Communication, and Social Media, with Dr. Nils Gustafsson
Dr. Nils Gustafsson , Senior Lecturer of Strategic Communication at Lund University, discusses the run-up to the 2022 Swedish Elections and then findings from his research. First, we chat about the main political issues that Swedes are vot…
- Social Media, Information Markets, and the Attention Economy, with Prof. Vincent Hendricks
Prof. Vincent Hendricks , Professor of Formal Philosophy at the University of Copenhagen, discusses his new book The Ministry of Truth: Big Tech's Influence over Facts, Feelings, and Fictions . Prof. Hendricks shares how social media are l…
- Machine Learning the Facebook URLs Dataset to Study News Credibility, with Dr. Tom Paskhalis
Dr. Tom Paskhalis , Assistant Professor in Political and Data Science at Trinity College Dublin, shares his research on applying machine learning to the Facebook URLs Dataset from Social Science One. The project develops a model to label w…
- Anti-Immigration YouTube Videos: Tactics and Narratives, with Shauna Siggelkow
Shauna Siggelkow, Director of Digital Storytelling at Define American , discusses a new report on anti-immigration YouTube videos: 'Immigration will Destroy Us and Other Talking Points.' We break down the report, which identifies a network…