Episodes

#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.

Be sure to check out the podcast’s Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube channels!

#76: Crypto Social Networks, with Bill Ottman

April 7, 2019 Civil Society

Bill Ottman, Founder and CEO of Minds, discusses how decentralized social media platforms may be the response to privacy concerns surrounding big platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. We talk about Minds’ peer-to-peer cryptocurrency model, how blockchain technology is used on the platform, and online censorship.

#75: Human Rights, Social Media, and Myanmar, with Ray Serrato

March 25, 2019 Civil Society

Ray Serrato, Social Media Analyst at the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, discusses how social media data is used in the context of human rights violations. Ray breaks down the attacks against the Rohingya minority in Myanmar, and we discuss the role of social media in these attacks. Lastly, we talk about what the closing down of social media APIs means for future human rights work.

#74: Political Campaigning with Chatbots, Streaming Devices, and Social Media, with Adam Meldrum

March 10, 2019 Digital Strategists

Adam Meldrum, Founding and Managing Partner at Ad Victory, guests to discuss the cutting-edge trends in American digital campaigning. We look at some best practices and innovations from the 2018 Midterm Elections around ad buys, booking inventory, OTT campaigns, and Facebook Messenger chatbots. And of course, how social media fits into the modern political campaign apparatus.