Episodes

#86: The Platform Society, Public Values, and Politics, with Dr. José van Dijck

July 13, 2019 Academics


Dr. José van Dijck, Distinguished Professor in Media and Society at Utrecht University, guests to discuss her latest book, The Platform Society: Public Values in a Connective World (Oxford University Press).

We break down key concepts from the book, including Platform Societies and Platform Power. We discuss the importance of public values in the Platform Society, and how these values might differ across the United States, the European Union, and China.

Dr. van Dijck also shares her thoughts on how platforms can be reverse engineered in ways that promote the public good.

#85: Strategic Communication at the Council of the European Union, with Alexandra Ekkelenkamp

June 30, 2019 Digital Strategists


Alexandra Ekkelenkamp, Advisor to the Director of Media and Communications at the Council of the European Union, discusses how the EU Council uses social media for strategic communication.

Alexandra shares her insights about how social media campaigns reflect the Council’s work, how that creates authenticity, and how to incorporate local versus European narratives when communicating to the EU public.

#84: Authentic Campaigns, Social Media, and Politics, with Loren Merchan and Jonathan Barnes

June 16, 2019 Digital Strategists


Loren Merchan and Jonathan Barnes guest to discuss the concept of authenticity and authentic campaigns in US elections. We break down the concept of authenticity, and discuss how digital and social media can be leveraged to make a candidate seem more authentic during a campaign.

Read more about Authentic Campaigns here!

#83: Mapping Migration Narratives in the EU with Social Media Data, with Kata Füge

June 9, 2019 Civil Society


Kata Füge, Social Media Analyst at Bakamo Social, discusses Bakamo’s latest study charting citizens’ online discussions about immigration across Europe. We break down the main findings of the study, the main narratives used by EU citizens to discuss migration in online spaces, as well as the methodology behind it.

Click here to see the study’s interactive dashboard, and find out what narratives about migration are popular in your country!

#82: Italian Politics, Digital Campaigning, and Social Media, with Dino Amenduni

June 2, 2019 Civil Society


Dino Amenduni, Political Strategist and Partner at Proforma, guests to discuss his work campaigning for Partito Democratico (PD) in Italy. We talk about the role of social media in digital campaigning for Italian politics, the enduring importance of television, and differences between local, national, and European elections.

#81: European Parliament Elections 2019: Results and Breakdown, with Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten

May 29, 2019 Academics


Dr. Anamaria Dutceac Segesten, Assistant Professor of European Studies at Lund University, guests to discuss a live breakdown of the 2019 EU election.

We talk about the election results, the European Parliament’s digital campaign, and what it all means for Europe.


Here’s the 2019 European Parliament’s promo video: Choose your Future.


And the 2014 video: Act. React. Impact.

#80: Strategic Narratives in International Relations and Diplomacy, with Dr. Ben O’Loughlin

May 19, 2019 Academics

Dr. Ben O’Loughlin, Professor of International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London, guests to discuss how diplomats use strategic narratives in managing international relations. We break down the concept of strategic narrative, which includes paying attention to the media environment. Dr. O’Loughlin explains the relationship between narrative and digital diplomacy, while providing examples from the 2015 Iran Deal and ongoing discussions around nuclear policy.

#79: Presidential Campaigning, Digital Media, and US Elections, with Dr. Jennifer Stromer-Galley

May 12, 2019 Academics


Dr. Jennifer Stromer-Galley, Professor of Information Studies at Syracuse University, guests to share her research on American presidential campaigns and their digital media use since 1996.


We discuss her award-winning book, Presidential Campaigning in the Internet Age, as well as its upcoming second edition, which includes a chapter on the 2016 election. Dr. Stromer-Galley breaks down how American campaigns’ digital strategy has changed over time, how it hasn’t, and what these practices reflect about democracy.

#78: Advertising and Fundraising for Political Campaigns, with Brian Lyle

April 29, 2019 Digital Strategists

Brian Lyle, Vice President of Digital Strategy at On Message, Inc., and AAPC 2019 Digital Strategist of the Year, guests to discuss his award-winning work during the 2018 US Midterms.

We discuss On Message’s approach to political campaigning – advertising, organic growth, and fundraising – and the role of digital media in each. We also break down differences in campaigning between challengers and incumbents, discover what makes a good campaign website, and talk about new forms of advertising like OTT and P2P texting.

#77: Ukraine Presidential Elections and Social Media Campaigning, with Mikhail Fedorov

April 13, 2019 Digital Strategists

Mikhail Fedorov, Chief Digital Strategist for Vladimir Zelensky, joins the podcast to discuss digital campaigning ahead of the 2019 Ukrainian Presidential Elections. We discuss how Zelensky, the election’s frontrunner, is using tools like Facebook, YouTube, and Telegram to grow a support base and coordinate volunteers’ canvassing efforts. We also talk about bots, trolls, and fake news in Ukraine ahead of the election, and how the Zelensky campaign is working to avoid information pollution on their online channels.

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