Political online influencer as intermediaries: new constellations in political communication

• Applicant: Dr. Paula Nitschke
• Subject Area: Communication Sciences
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 515890754

The starting point of this project is the observation that a new type of actor, known as political online influencers (POI), is establishing itself as a new intermediary in the political-public sphere. These POI are in several respects border crossers between older and newer media contexts as well as between information- and entertainment-oriented content and they are operating at the transitions of political, journalistic and commercial contexts. The fact that POIs can also be found in the media repertoires of more information-averse citizens sometimes gives rise to the hope that POIs can (re)mediate this population group to the political-public sphere. The success in social media also makes POIs interesting for traditional intermediaries (journalistic media and political actors), which are struggling with circulation losses and dwindling social penetration. As a result, new constellations are emerging in political communication, such as collaborations between old and new intermediaries in which POIs serve classic media formats or support communication campaigns. But communication relationships based on conflict or imitation are also conceivable. In its reserach interest, the project ties in with the initial observation and asks, how POIs are gradually establishing themselves as new intermediaries in the political- public sphere and what new constellations are emerging between POIs, their audiences and classic intermediaries. Four interrelated research questions are posed: 1. what (new) varieties of personalization (mediation style) do POIs bring to the political-media public sphere, and how do classical intermediaries react to them? 2. what is the communication relationship between POIs and their audience and classic intermediaries (journalistic media and political actors), and how do those involved evaluate the relationship? 3. what is the professional mediation repertoire of POIs, consisting of communication repertoire (mediation channels and content), institutional affiliation and business model (journalism or entertainment industry)? 4. What are the typical development trajectories of POIs according to mediation style, communication relationship and mediation repertoire? Theories from journalism and public relations theory, political communication research, and persona and micro celebrity studies will be used to address the question. From these theories, a research model will be derived that explains the establishment process of POI in different media contexts. Empirically, the project will be implemented through three work packages (1. content analysis of POI's web offering, 2. qualitative interviews, and 3. case studies).

• DFG Programme: Research Grants