A Perfect Match?: The Populism-Social Media Nexus

This chapter explores the relationship between populism and social media through a narrative literature review. It synthesises theoretical arguments and empirical evidence to evaluate how digital platforms may reinforce populism at three levels: strengthening populist actors, amplifying populist discourses, and shaping populist attitudes. To structure the analysis, the review organises theoretical arguments into a systematic framework by linking them to the architecture, norms, and affordances of social media, thereby clarifying how these dimensions may shape populist communication across different platforms. Empirical findings indicate that populist actors frequently achieve higher engagement online, especially through emotionally charged and people-centred messaging, though platform-specific differences remain significant. The chapter highlights the fragmented and stylistic nature of populist communication, as well as the situational adoption of populist elements by non-populist actors. At the same time, it identifies substantial research gaps, including the excessive focus on political leaders in Western democracies, the limited exploration of citizen-driven discourses, and the lack of systematic cross-platform comparisons. By addressing these issues, the chapter provides both a synthesis of current knowledge and a research agenda for advancing understanding of how social media shapes the contemporary populist landscape.