Mutual affordances: the dynamics between social media and populism

Jeroen Hopster

doi:10.1177/0163443720957889

Abstract

In a recent contribution to this journal Paolo Gerbaudo has argued that an ‘elective affinity’ exists between social media and populism. The present article expands on Gerbaudo’s argument and examines various dimensions of this affinity in further detail. It argues that it is helpful to conceptually reframe the proposed affinity in terms of affordances. Four affordances are identified which make the social media ecology relatively favourable to both-right as well as left-wing populism, compared to the pre-social media ecology. These affordances are neither stable nor uniquely fixed: they change in concordance with ongoing technological developments and in response to political events. Even though these dynamics can be quick-moving, a fairly stable alliance of interests between social media and populism seems to have emerged over the last decade. This raises the plausibility that as long as the current social media ecology persists, populist tendencies will remain prevalent in politics.

Highlights

In a recent contribution to this journal Gerbaudo (2018) has argued that an ‘elective affinity’ exists between social media and political populism
“what could be tentatively described as an ‘elective affinity’ between social media and populism: social media has favoured populist against establishment movements by providing the former a suitable channel to invoke the support of ordinary people against the latter.” (Gerbaudo, 2018: 746)
What the present analysis does aspire to show, is that a convincing case can be made for the existence of an ‘elective affinity’ between populism and social media, and that this affinity is helpfully understood in terms of affordances

Summary

Introduction

In a recent contribution to this journal Gerbaudo (2018) has argued that an ‘elective affinity’ exists between social media and political populism. Gerbaudo highlights that the mass networking capabilities of social media provide a suitable channel for the mass politics and appeals to the people characteristic of populism. According to Gerbaudo we are witnessing “what could be tentatively described as an ‘elective affinity’ between social media and populism: social media has favoured populist against establishment movements by providing the former a suitable channel to invoke the support of ordinary people against the latter.” (Gerbaudo, 2018: 746). Gerbaudo highlights structural reasons which explain why social media have served populism well. He highlights how social media are well-suited to amplify the voice of the people, and to facilitate the people’s rally

Objectives

Conclusion