Platforms, Power, and Politics

Political communication has fundamentally transformed as digital technologies have become increasingly important in everyday life. Technology platforms have become powerful political instruments for world leaders, campaigns, social movements, journalists, and non-governmental organizations. Moreover, they are essential to how people communicate about politics, encounter and share political information, and take action to pursue their political goals. This is the first textbook to center digital platforms in understanding political communication. With global examples beyond the context of Western democracies, the text reveals how digital technologies such as social media and search engines are increasingly shaping political communication in countries around the world. It shows how the core processes of political communication are being reshaped by platforms, from how elections are contested to how issues make it onto policymaking agendas. Topics covered include public opinion, journalism, strategic communication, political parties, social movements, governance, disinformation, propaganda, populism, race, ethnicity, and democratic backsliding. Full of lively examples and pedagogical features, Platforms, Power, and Politics offers an exciting and innovative new approach to political communication. It is essential reading for students of political communication and an important resource for scholars, journalists, and policymakers.

Acknowledgments Chapter 1: Introduction: Political Communication in the Platform Era Chapter 2: Definitions and Variations of Political Communication Chapter 3: Platforms and their Power Chapter 4: Platforms, Public Spheres, and Public Opinion Chapter 5: Platforms and Journalism Chapter 6: Platforms and Strategic Political Communication Chapter 7: Platforms, Campaigns and Campaigning Chapter 8: Platforms and Movements Chapter 9: Platform Governance Chapter 10: Platforms, Misinformation, Disinformation, and Propaganda Chapter 11: Platforms and Populism, Radicalism, and Extremism Chapter 12: Platforms, Politics, and Entertainment Chapter 13: Conclusion: Platforms and the Future of Political Communication Revision: Chapter Objectives Revisited References Index