Social Media and Politics
180 episodes - English - Latest episode: 21 days ago - ★★★★★ - 24 ratingsSocial 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.
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Episodes
Gab: The Free Speech Social Network, with Utsav Sanduja
July 16, 2017 22:01 - 51 minutes - 47.4 MBGab is an upstart social network with over 200,000 users that does not censor its users' content. Utsav Sanduja, Gab's Chief Communications Officer and Global Affairs Director, joins the podcast to discuss what this social media is all about and addresses some of the recent controversies surrounding it. We discuss how Twitter and Facebook have been censoring users' content, the role of Gab in supporting free speech online, and what Gab's position is on bots and fake news. Utsav also talks ab...
Citizen Marketers and the Bernie Sanders Campaign on Social Media, with Dr. Joel Penney
July 09, 2017 17:06 - 52 minutes - 47.8 MBDr. Joel Penney, Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Media at Montclair State University, discusses his new book *The Citizen Marketer: Promoting Political Opinion in the Social Media Age*. The book explores how everyday citizens actively assist in the promotion of political messages through their social media activity, following logics of viral marketing to enact persuasion at a peer-to-peer level. Dr. Penney shares his research on the Bernie Sanders campaign and the ro...
The UK's New Digital Left: Paid Social, Civic Tech, and Mobilizing the Youth Vote, with Samir Patel
July 02, 2017 15:45 - 28 minutes - 26.3 MBSamir Patel, Managing Director at Blue State Digital London, guests this week to discuss how the recent success of the Labour Party in the 2017 British elections was aided by a huge push in digital by the British Left. We discuss the role that Facebook data targeting played in the election - not just from Labour but also advocacy groups. Samir also explains how social media was used to mobilize the British youth vote, how citizens built their own digital tools to campaign (i.e. civic tech), ...
Who's Targeting You? Facebook Dark Ads in the British Election Campaign, with Sam Jeffers
June 25, 2017 16:00 - 29 minutes - 27 MBThe Social Media and Politics Podcast 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 industry experts to get their take on how social media influences the ways we engage with politics and democracy. Connect with us on Twitter @SMandPPodcast & Facebook: Social Media and Politics Podcast In this episode, Sam Jeffers, co-founder of Who Targets Me, joi...
How Social Media Affects Engagement with Civic and Political Life, with Dr. Shelley Boulianne
June 18, 2017 11:00 - 29 minutes - 27.2 MBThe Social Media and Politics Podcast 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 industry experts to get their take on how social media influences the ways we engage with politics and democracy. Connect with us on Twitter @SMandPPodcast & Facebook: Social Media and Politics Podcast Dr. Shelley Boulianne, Associate Professor in Sociology at Ma...
The 2017 British Elections on Social Media, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
June 10, 2017 12:13 - 52 minutes - 48.3 MBHost Michael Bossetta and Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten discuss parties and citizens used social media to campaign in the 2017 UK General Elections, where Theresa May's gamble to call a snap election backfired on her Conservative Party. We break down the election results and their implications for Brexit. We also look at how Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat were used by the major parties and their supporters during the campaign.
Donald Trump and Scott Walker's Digital Strategy on Social Media, with Matthew Oczkowski
May 29, 2017 17:20 - 40 minutes - 37.6 MBThe Social Media and Politics Podcast 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 industry experts to get their take on how social media influences the ways we engage with politics and democracy. Connect with us on Twitter @SMandPPodcast & Facebook: Social Media and Politics Podcast This episode has been featured in the Financial Times. Matth...
Snapchat and the Marco Rubio Campaign, with Eric Wilson
May 22, 2017 14:38 - 39 minutes - 36 MBEric Wilson, Digital Director for the Marco Rubio for President campaign, guests on the podcast to discuss how the Rubio campaign used social media in the 2016 U.S. presidential elections. We focus on Snapchat and discuss how the platform was used to reach voters, how the campaign crafted Snapchat stories, and where Snapchat fit into the campaign's overall social media strategy. Eric also discusses how Snapchat was used to promote a 'Vote Early Day' initiative that set off media coverage and...
American Politics and Social Media, with Dr. Alan Rosenblatt
May 15, 2017 17:39 - 53 minutes - 49.3 MBDr. Alan Rosenblatt, Director for Digital Research at Lake Research Partners and Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy at Turner4D, shares his insights into how politicians have historically used the internet to campaign, going back to the first campaign website. We discuss how social media influences campaigns and advocacy, the current state of opinion polling, and the 2016 U.S. elections between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.
The French Elections and Social Media Part 2: Le Pen versus Macron and Predicting Election Outcomes, with Dr. Antoine Bevort
May 04, 2017 20:43 - 44 minutes - 40.6 MBDr. Antoine Bevort, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at le Cnam, gives his take on what a Marine Le Pen or Emmanuel Macron victory in the French elections would mean for France. We discuss Dr. Bevort's research into how social media can be a predictor for public opinion, and we also touch upon how bots and fake accounts fit into the sociology theory of social capital. You can find out more about Dr. Bevort and his research at www.antoinebevort.blogspot.com
The French Elections and Social Media Part 1: What News are Citizens Sharing on Social Media?, with Daniel Fazekas
May 01, 2017 18:28 - 1 hour - 59.9 MBDaniel Fazekas, founder of Bakamo Social, discusses the findings of his recent research into the French social media landscape leading up to the 2017 French presidential election. We discuss what types of news sources French citizens are sharing, Russian influence on the elections through social media, and the polarization of news consumption patterns among the public. You can download a copy of the study, 'French Election Social Media Landscape', by visiting www.bakamosocial.com You can al...
World Leaders on Instagram: Governing through Photography, Selfies, and Live Stories, with Matthias Luefkens
April 23, 2017 19:13 - 33 minutes - 30.4 MBMatthias Luefkens, Managing Director of Digital Strategy for EMEA countries at Burson-Marsteller, comes on the podcast to discuss his 'World Leaders on Instagram 2017' Twiplomacy study, which examines the ways governments and heads of state are using Instagram. We discuss some of the findings of the study, including who has the most followers and drives the most engagement, and we also chat about how politicians and institutions are using the Instagram Live Stories feature in the early stage...
Dark Social Media like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat: What do they mean for Politics and Marketing?, with Paul Hurley
April 17, 2017 20:54 - 35 minutes - 32.3 MBPaul Hurley, digital marketing expert and founder of Frictionless Social, guests this week to discuss how Dark Social networks may be influencing politics. Paul discusses how platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and others can be used by politicians and political campaigns, and we talk about how these networks may have effected the outcome of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump. Paul highlights how communication in Dark Social networks tends to be more honest, among close...
Social Media and Politics in Nigeria, with Yomi Kazeem
April 10, 2017 15:13 - 29 minutes - 26.8 MBYomi Kazeem, a Lagos-based writer of politics, entrepreneurship, and sports business, joins the podcast to share his insights on social media's impact on politics in Nigeria. We discuss the role of social media in the latest 2015 Nigerian elections, and how Twitter was used by citizens to guard against government manipulation of the vote. Yomi also brings up the topic of dual sim cards, elaborates on NIgeria's data infrastructure, and explains how political leaders have a love/hate relations...
Challenging Nancy Pelosi for Congress: Social Media's Role in Grassroots Campaigning, with Preston Picus
April 02, 2017 18:00 - 36 minutes - 33.7 MBPreston Picus, an educator and coach who challenged Nancy Pelosi in California’s 12th Congressional District, guests to discuss the role that social media played in his running his grassroots, progressive campaign. Mr. Picus highlights some of the disadvantages facing an average citizen running for office against an established politician, shares his experiences using Facebook for digital advertising, and gives his take on why Twitter is less effective than Facebook for campaigning. We also ...
Social Media and Anti-Corruption Protests in Romania, with the Facebook Page 'Corruption Kills'
March 26, 2017 14:13 - 47 minutes - 43.4 MBDr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten guest hosts this episode and speaks with Mugur, an activist involved with running the Facebook page 'Corruption Kills', which helped carry out the largest protest in Romania since the fall of the Soviet Union. Dr. Segesten and Mugur discuss the role of social media in mobilizing and coordinating the protests, which were in response to an ordinance aimed at limiting the penalties for corruption by government officials. They discuss how the Facebook page was used...
The 2017 Dutch Elections and Political Campaigning on Social Media in the Netherlands, with Dr. Kristof Jacobs
March 13, 2017 16:36 - 26 minutes - 24 MBDr. Kristof Jacobs, Assistant Professor at Radboud University, joins the podcast ahead of the upcoming Dutch national elections to share his research on how political parties and strategists in the Netherlands use social media to campaign. We discuss the major role that Twitter plays in Dutch politics but also how parties are adopting newer social media platforms, like Instagram and Snapchat. We also talk about the difference between individual politicians’ social media use versus party comm...
"Last Night in Sweden": Responding to Donald Trump while Branding a Nation on Social Media, with Emma Randecker
March 05, 2017 16:00 - 38 minutes - 35 MBEmma Randecker from the Swedish Institute discusses how the organization responded to Donald Trump's 'Last Night in Sweden' comment, which sparked a media frenzy on both traditional and social media. Emma outlines how SI launched a fact checking campaign on Facebook and tried to clear up some misconceptions about immigration and refugees in Sweden. We also discuss the Curators of Sweden project, which gives selected Swedes control of the @Sweden Twitter account for one week, and how the Cura...
The YouTube Algorithm and its Implication for Politics, with Matt Gielen
February 13, 2017 05:00 - 45 minutes - 41.7 MBMatt Gielen, founder of Little Monster Media Co and former Director of Audience Development at Frederator, joins the podcast to share is research and insights about how the YouTube algorithm works. Matt explains some of the factors that YouTube's algorithm takes into account when suggesting content to users, and we discuss the implications this filtering might have on public opinion and political campaigning during elections. Other topics touched upon are YouTube monetization, digital adver...
Social Media and Nonprofit Organizations Serving Immigrants in the United States, with Dr. Heath Brown
February 02, 2017 10:46 - 39 minutes - 36.2 MBDr. Heath Brown, Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and the City University of New York Graduate Center, joins the show to share his research on the political activity of nonprofit organizations serving immigrants and their communities. We discuss how these immigrant serving NGO's use - or shy away from - political action and the role that social media plays in their communication strategy. Dr. Brown highlights that the low resources of these NG...
Bots and Computational Propaganda on Social Media, with Samuel Woolley
January 18, 2017 20:52 - 33 minutes - 31 MBThis episode is all about bots on social media with guest Samuel Woolley, Director of Research of the Computational Propaganda Project at the Oxford Internet Institute at the University of Oxford. We discuss exactly how users make bots, and the ways they are deployed on Facebook and Twitter to influence politics through, for example, spreading fake news or disrupting protests. Sam explains how bots are difficult to trace, since they are often geotagged in misleading locations or used for dig...
Twitter, ISIS, and Sentiment Analysis: Using Big Data to Measure Public Opinion about Terrorism, with Dr. Luigi Curini
January 03, 2017 15:47 - 41 minutes - 38.2 MBDr. Luigi Curini, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Milan, discusses how big data from social networks can be used to estimate public opinion about ISIS and terrorism. Dr. Curini shares his research using Twitter data to uncover how the Arabic community discusses the Islamic State on social media. He and his colleagues find that closing down Twitter accounts of ISIS supporters may lead to them becoming foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq, and that Islam is a major ...
2016 Year in Review: Bots, Fake News, and Campaigning on Snapchat, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten
December 20, 2016 19:32 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBDr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten, Assistant Professor of European Studies at Lund University, and host Michael Bossetta discuss some of the hottest topics and controversies surrounding social media and politics from 2016. This year in review, Christmas episode tackles some of the key challenges facing policy makers and contemporary societies, from the explosion of political bots on Twitter to the spreading of fake news on Facebook. The two discuss how Snapchat was used as a digital marketing to...
Social Media and Political Youth Organizations in Denmark, with Emilie Demant
December 12, 2016 03:37 - 22 minutes - 20.4 MBEmilie Demant, social media coordinator for Venstres Ungdom, shares her insights into how a Danish political youth organization is using social media to engage young voters with politics. We discuss how Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter are each used differently to communicate politics with young Danes, as well as what types of user-generated content Emilie receives when managing these social media accounts. Emilie highlights the visual element of social media by stressing that meme...
Digital Marketing on Social Media for Political Campaigns, with Chasen Campbell
November 28, 2016 23:32 - 30 minutes - 28.2 MBChasen Campbell, VP of Client Strategy at Harris Media, shares his knowledge about how major US politicians use social media for digital campaigning. We discuss how political campaigns use big data to micro-target voters on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, as well as what it's like to run a digital marketing campaign for politicians with big budgets. Chasen also weighs in on how new social media platforms, like Snapchat and Periscope, stack up to giants like Facebook and Google. We also di...
Hillary for Prison and Instagram: Grassroots Campaigning through Memes, with Emily Longworth
October 27, 2016 17:10 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBEmily Longworth, spokesperson for the Hillary for Prison movement, shares how the grassroots organization is using Instagram to promote its message during the 2016 US presidential elections. We discuss what type of conversations take place on their Instagram account's comment fields, the role of hashtags to the account's success, and bringing a bit of humor into politics.
E-Voting and Elections: How does it work in Estonia?, with Jason Kitcat
October 27, 2016 17:01 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBJason Kitcat, an e-voting expert and avid digital rights campaigner, shares his experience as an official election observer during Estonia's 2013 municipal elections. Estonia is the first country in the word to introduce e-voting nationwide, and Jason points out some of the pitfalls he and his team observed during their election observation. We discuss whether e-voting is a viable alternative to traditional voting, and whether large social media providers like Facebook can (or cannot) help m...
Öresundsrevolutionen and Facebook: Protesting Sweden's Border Controls on Social Media, with Niels Paarup-Petersen
October 27, 2016 16:54 - 32 minutes - 29.5 MBIn late 2015, the Swedish government imposed border controls to stem the influx of migrants to Sweden from the refugee crisis. A small group of regional politicians in Southern Sweden set up a Facebook page, Öresundsrevolutionen, to protest the border controls. In this episode Niels Paarup-Petersen, a regional politician from the Center Party, shares his insight into how and why the movement to protest the border controls is taking place on Facebook. We discuss Öresundsrevolutionen's communi...
Twitter and Political Debates: What Dual Screening means for Democracy and Political Participation, with Dr. Cristian Vaccari
October 27, 2016 16:53 - 30 minutes - 28.3 MBDr. Cristian Vaccari, one of the world's leading social media and political communication researchers, shares his insights about what "dual screening" during political events means for democracy and political participation. We discuss exactly what dual screening is, as well as Dr. Vaccari's recent prize-winning research finding that citizens who use Twitter during political debates are more likely to participate in politics during (and after) elections. Other topics covered in this episode a...
European Parliament on Snapchat: Engaging EU Youth in Politics through Social Media, with Karolina Wozniak
October 27, 2016 16:52 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBKarolina Wozniak, social media coordinator for the European Parliament, shares how and why the European Parliament is using Snapchat to engage youth in EU politics. Listen in as we discuss where Snapchat fits into the Parliament's overall social media strategy, the levels and types of citizen engagement, geofilters, and the costs of running a Snapchat account for a government institution (you'll be surprised!).