Social Media and Mainstreaming of Extreme Right-Wing Populist Parties in Europe

Abstract

　This paper examines the reasons for the mainstreaming of extreme right-wing populist parties in Europe in terms of their communication methods. Why are some extreme right-wing populist parties more successful than others? Some researchers have noted that populist parties have great success when they appear to be “normal,” i.e., when their ideology is genuinely supported by people. So, this paper examines what populist parties are doing to make themselves appear to be “normal” parties. 　Unexpectedly, extreme right-wing populist parties have strong control over what they say on social media, and most of their posts are just promoting TV interviews they had already appeared in, or some event such as an autograph session. In our view, this is part of their strategy to show that they are more politically sophisticated and trustworthy than other extreme right-wing groups. Thus, successful extreme right-wing populist parties have chosen their strategies very rationally.