The Impact of Social Media on the Rise of Neo-populist Movements in Europe2014-2020

Populism and its new form, neo-populism, which has a more radical argument than the former, have become a sociopolitical reality in European political literature, with its impact and sociopolitical power constantly expanding. However, the primary purpose of this study was to examine the role of public media and social networks in the rise of neo-populist movements in Europe, with a focus on France and Italy. With the decline of democratic movements and classical political parties in recent decades, especially in the last decade, these countries have gradually grown in importance in the rise of neo-populism. The results showed that social networks and public media have taken over as the primary venues for the promotion of such movements. Neo-populist movement leaders rely on the media as their allies or counselors and owe their power among the general public, especially among groups without in-depth political understanding, to the popular and yellow media. Such media have bolstered the sociopolitical strongholds of neo-populism by emphasizing clichéd or routine topics like nationalism, xenophobia, and portraying immigration as threats to the future of the people in the countries, as well as by promoting and spotlighting in a popular manner the corruption of political leaders who are in positions of power. It must be pointed out that an integrated quantitative and qualitative approach was employed concurrently in order to evaluate the trends of gaining power and the rise of neo-populist movements through the study of trends, dimensions, and quantities while also explaining the main research question.

 With the decline of government oversight of media enterprises, the emergence of sizable private commercial media, and the growth of social networks, which are currently garnering the most attention, special political movements have drawn the public’s attention and created their own distinct discourse in society, for or against one or more political movements, with the aim of establishing their hegemony with regard to the society they desire. This has been done by creating special content in line with their political beliefs, which is also in line with the intentions of the public in the society. Among such movements are the neo-populist movements that have gained popularity in European countries in recent years. In light of this, the primary research question is: How has the prevalence of social media and networks contributed to the formation and growth of nationalist populism, or the very neo-populism? The hypothesis is that social media and networks have played a significant role in shaping public opinion in order for the leaders of this discourse to come to power by acting as the primary representatives of the populace by influencing election campaigns, giving populist elites personalities, and widely disseminating their messages.

 The notion of discourse is one of the important and widely-applied ideas that had a considerable impact on the development of western sociopolitical philosophy. The present study’s theoretical underpinning is Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s discourse analysis, which is based on two structuralist theories: Marxism and Saussure’s linguistics. According to this theory, the nodal point, the foundation of the signifier around which other signifiers congregate, serves as the central signifier. The concept whose importance is emphasized in other discourse analysis theories is the central signifier. As a result, in the presence of social gaps, the media can have a substantial impact on shaping public opinion, propagating myths, and reinforcing the empty signifier. This area’s importance is highlighted more than ever during a crisis. Aiming to strengthen the empty signifier that holds desirable ideals and a picture of the ideal society and the savior notions, contemporary media present different images and myths in an effort to highlight discourses that have previously been rejected and marginalized by the hegemony of the prevailing discourse.

This study employed Clifford Geertz’s thick description approach.

According to the findings almost no significant event can be found that is not influenced by the presence of media and its narratives, which have a considerable influence on the knowledge and perception of the general public. In recent decades, this has drawn attention to the notion of “being in the media.” In Europe, populism is a complicated, profound phenomenon that has a lengthy historical background. Neo-populism’s defining characteristic is primarily the focus on the structure or form of single-subject political action; members and leaders of neo-populist movements tend to focus their political and media strategies on one or several contentious issues, such as xenophobia, nationalism, and party corruption. This is due, in part, to the inherent simplicity of neo-populist themes and their straightforward appeal to the voters. Neo-populist movements support the original authority of direct democracy, the “people’s” will, the emphasis on the absence of any middleman in people’s decision-making process, and the promotion of referenda. The policies of these movements are typically the outcome of some type of agitation and dissatisfaction in a particular national setting, or what is known as the “constant mobilization of dissatisfaction,” in other words.
The effectiveness of social media and networks in fortifying the neo-populist movements as a strong and unbreakable bond is one of the key markers in this regard. In fact, recent years have seen a dramatic shift in European media systems. These changes have expanded the opportunity structure for the spread of populist ideas. In recent decades, factors including the declining influence of the traditional press, greater media ownership, reliance on advertising, and increased tendency toward news values in European countries have changed the landscape in ways that have favored the emergence of populist discourse. In addition to covering the aforementioned topic briefly in his book Populist Radical Right Parties in Europe, Cas Mudde affirms and explains the strong linkages between commercial broadcasting and yellow journalism and populist viewpoints. He highlights the interconnectedness between populist media, parties, and movements, drawing inspiration from Carl Schmitt’s notion that friendship and enmity are the primary elements of politics. For instance, he discusses Jörg Haider, a well-known populist leader in Austria, and then quotes Ritterband: “Both Haider and the media depended on one another.”

   The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of social media and networks in the rise of neo-populist movements in Europe, with a focus on France and Italy. The findings indicated that nationalist neo-populist discourses in European countries and their respective sociopolitical domains influence the processes of yellow journalism and popular broadcasting on the one hand, and are influenced by them on the other. This is done with the intention of influencing public opinion, especially among social groups who lack comprehensive political knowledge of the country’s evolution. The results, in particular, showed that these political groups are able to influence public opinion by giving clichéd popular topics significance in their discourse and exaggerating them with the aid of the media. These issues are typically ignored by the ruling democratic movements. This is a valid reason, especially during election campaigns, for the propagation of populist movements’ and parties’ beliefs in order to sway the polling processes ahead of election day and thereby affect the outcome of the votes. To put it another way, political campaign leaders aim to influence people’s political beliefs and ideas in order to sway public opinion poll results months before election day and ultimately win the election.