As never before, the parties in the ‘super election year 2017′ relied on election campaigning on the internet and in social networks. Innovative online tools were used not only for election advertising but also for campaign financing. Especially right-wing populist parties like the AfD in Germany owe their successes not least to successful mobilisation via social media. The parties’ intensive online election campaign poses new challenges to the relationship between democracy, the internet and social media: Do Facebook and Twitter endanger the quality of political debates?
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