Social Media and Politics

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 communication in Europe. Jochen shares his thoughts on the definition of political advertising, alternative solutions to increase political visibility online, and how he is advising campaigns to adapt their online strategies in a landscape without ads on Meta and Google. 

Nathan Sanders, a Berkman Klein Center computer scientist studying AI governance, and Bruce Schneier, a security expert on tech and policy, explore how AI changes democratic systems. They discuss AI acting through IoT, campaign automation, the four S's framework (speed, scale, scope, sophistication), AI-driven lawmaking and lobbying, civic inequality in access, values and bias in AI personas, and security risks versus citizen empowerment.

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, before turning to how platforms like YouTube and TikTok enable journalists to build direct relationships with audiences. Jacob reflects on sourcing, livestreaming, journalistic ethics, and the differences between working as an independent journalist versus reporting within major news organizations.

Dr. Betto van Waarden, an Assistant Professor of History at Maastricht University, dives into the intricate relationship between media and politics during the Age of Empire. He discusses how 19th-century technologies transformed news production and the emergence of public opinion. Van Waarden introduces the concept of 'publicity politicians,' whose traits include media savvy and hypersensitivity to public sentiment. He draws compelling parallels between historical political strategies and today's media landscape, exploring how personalization affects democracy.

Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten, Vice Dean of Research at Lund University, dives into the crossroads of social media, politics, and AI. She reviews 2025's trends, from regulatory changes in the EU regarding political ads to the rise of a synthetic public sphere driven by AI. They discuss platforms opting out of political discourse and the implications for democracy. Anamaria highlights the challenges and opportunities of transparency in online advertising and warns of the consequences of marginalized human voices in the digital arena.

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 Catherine Connelly's presidential win in Ireland. Beyond tech functionality, we discuss how CRM platforms can give campaigns a human touch, how tech integrates with the culture of a campaign, and the potential downsides of gamification for volunteer organizing. You can read more about Solidarity Tech's origins and functionality here. 

Dr. Kevin Munger, an expert in computational social science at the European University Institute, delves into the fascinating concept of temporal validity and its impact on social media research. He explains why rapid changes in platforms challenge traditional research methods and argues for the importance of forecasting in evaluating findings. Munger also critiques the Meta 2020 Election Research partnership and discusses how the pace of digital evolution demands new theoretical frameworks and innovative research approaches to remain relevant in political communication.

Frank A. Spring, founding partner at Altum Insight, delves into the transformative power of storytelling in politics. He reveals how qualitative methods and AI-moderated interviews uncover citizens' personal narratives about democracy. Discussing the Montana Democracy Project, he identifies key narratives that shape political identities. Spring emphasizes the ethical responsibilities of storytelling and how cultural context influences narratives. He also explores how political candidates should align their personal and community stories for effective communication.

Explore innovative teaching initiatives in political communication, featuring a unique database for course materials. A fun role-play game simulates real-world oversight board decisions, prompting critical debates among students. Discover how counterfactual assignments encourage creative thinking about historical events and social media’s influence. The podcast emphasizes the importance of debriefing exercises to deepen understanding and enhance learning outcomes, making education not just informative but also engaging and interactive.

Join Professor Matthew Wall, a political scientist focused on election forecasting, and Dr. Louis Bromfield, a researcher in gamification, as they delve into the fascinating world of election prediction. They explore the effectiveness of prediction markets like Polymarket, discussing how they can outshine traditional polls and subtly influence voter behavior through bandwagon effects. The duo also reveals insights on gamifying forecasting to boost political engagement, sharing their experiences with Fantasy Forecast and the impacts observed in recent elections.