I am a political and cultural sociologist interested in how media and communication practices impact politics, with a particular focus on right-wing and populist movements. Through my research, I aim to offer empirically grounded insights into ongoing debates about digitalization, communication, and political identity. Seeking to move beyond buzzwords such as “fake news,” “echo chambers,” or “post-truth,” I draw on the rich conceptual toolkit of cultural sociology to analyze contemporary political communication dynamics.
One of my research projects examines the role of right-wing alternative media ecologies in shaping political opinion. I conducted interviews with participants involved in recent populist mobilizations in Germany, including anti-refugee movements and anti-lockdown protests during the COVID-19 pandemic. These participants expressed a strong focus on issues of information gathering, as reflected in their disengagement from the so-called “mainstream.” Through these interviews, I explored media usage and (political) meaning-making in situ—for example, examining their criteria for evaluating content, synthesizing practices across platforms, and preferences for specific media influencers and sources.
In my book project, entitled Informational Activism and the Party Imagination, I further explore this new political subjectivity emerging from recent populist movements and its political consequences, particularly in relation to social movements and voting. The book draws on ethnographic data collected during two and a half years of fieldwork in two German cities—one in East Germany and one in West Germany.
I am currently conducting fieldwork for a new project focused on media practices and political mobilization among high-school students.