The Populist Alternative Influence Network: New Media, Parasocial Relationships, and Online Populist Communities

• In Event: Media, Trust, and Media Distrust

Brief Overview

This paper examines a network of populist creators on new media platforms and uses discourse analysis and in-depth interviews with viewers to explore how the parasocial qualities of digital media contributes to populist support.

Author

• Rachel Hyatt Meade, Boston University