Divisive, Negative, and Populist?! An Empirical Analysis of European Populist and Mainstream Parties’ Use of Digital Political Advertisements

For digital political advertising (DPA) on Facebook, parties can complement their organic communication by targeting users with sponsored posts (Facebook-sponsored posts) and advertising campaigns (Facebook ads). Based on the theoretical framework of dissonant public spheres in the digital age, this article provides the first empirical analysis of how and with what content populist and mainstream parties use DPA on Facebook for divisive, negative, and populist messages. We analyze a data set of approximately 10,000 Facebook organic posts, sponsored posts, and ads published by 53 parties across 10 European countries during the 2019 European parliamentary election. Our findings reveal that populist and mainstream parties do not sponsor more posts or spend more money on ads containing divisive topics, negativity, and populist communication styles. Our article extends the debate on digital public spheres by incorporating parties’ use of division, negativity, and populism in DPA, thus offering a better understanding of their implications for shaping dissonant public spheres.