Computer Engineering Commons^™

Populist Supporters On Reddit: A Comparison Of Content And Behavioral Patterns Within Publics Of Supporters Of Donald Trump And Hillary Clinton, Andreas Jungherr, Oliver Posegga, Jisun An

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The international rise of populism has been attributed, in part, to digital media. These media allow the backers of populists to share and distribute information independent of traditional media organizations or elites and offer communication spaces in which they can support each other and strengthen communal ties irrespective of their societal standing. Can we identify these functions in distinct usage patterns of digital media by supporters of populists? This could find expression through posting content that comports with the central tenets of populist ideology, higher activity levels, use of distinct vocabularies, and heightened levels of community building. We investigate differences …