Evolution, not revolution
Facebook mostly recreates the traditional campaign, only louder.
What do parties actually post, who do they reach, and what do platforms really change? Six ideas from my research. Select a card for the detail, plus links to the papers, posts and videos behind it.
New here? Start with these three
Facebook mostly recreates the traditional campaign, only louder.
One party, different faces for different audiences.
Behind the curtain of the targeting machine.
Adventurous campaigning without risking the brand.
A hidden army of followers, far larger than formal membership.
You can't scrutinise what you can't see.
The research in seven minutes: the thesis and the questions the papers answer. Download the film (MP4)
Explainers, talks and media appearances from my YouTube channel, on campaigns, platforms and the data behind them. Pick a video below to play it here.
If the player does not load, watch on YouTube ↗
An ESRC-funded doctorate on British parties' Facebook campaigns, after an LLB, an MA in Politics and an MRes.
Research consultant during the General Election, analysing targeted political ads using crowdsourced data from volunteers.
Research map
Papers on this site, placed where their data comes from. Tap a marker to see the papers and open them. The papers on the UK as a whole circle Britain; Scotland, Wales and London have their own markers.
Every party whose Facebook pages appear in the research, plus the campaigns studied in their own right. Colours show party family and a white dot marks parties the PopuList classes as populist. Tap a tile to see the papers about it, or search by name.
Party families follow ParlGov and populism follows the PopuList. Leader pages are listed under their party. The list holds party-level information only: no posts are shared.