Eurosceptics, Europeanization, and public spheres in the digital age: Are social media redefining civic engagement with European politics?

Beskrivelse

The results of the 2014 European Parliament elections have been widely described under the heading "the rise of the far-right" across the EU. Our talk explores whether the growing popularity of Eurosceptic parties actually contributes to Europeanization processes by increasing the saliency of the EU and EU-related issues (e.g. immigration, austerity, national sovereignty) within national public spheres. We present findings from our study investigating how print media and Twitter users in Sweden and Denmark reacted to the ‘rise of the Eurosceptic far-right’ on the day following the 2014 EP elections. While we find differences between how the two countries’ national media reported about the results, the reactions of the two countries’ Twitterspheres were largely similar. We discuss our results in light of the implications of social media for a European Public Sphere, and we highlight how Twitter's digital architectures affect engagement with European politics.

Periode	21 apr. 2016
Begivenhedstitel	European Studies Research Seminar
Begivenhedstype	Seminar
Placering	Amsterdam, HollandVis på kort