Chasing the digital zeitgeist: Data, digital and the modern election campaign

By Professor Kate Dommett 

Election campaigning has moved online. Facebook ads, Tiktok videos and Twitter posts are now the norm, whilst behind the scenes parties use our personal data to develop and optimise their activities. These trends have often been seen as a cause for concern, but how does the actual practice of campaigning stack up against the perceived threats? And how can we even study what is happening online? In this lecture I reflect on these questions and what they reveal about the study of the digital world.