The political use of social media in European election campaigns

In recent years, an increasing number of scholars and political commentators have been discussing the impact of social media on social democratic systems. A particular dimension of this impact pertains to issues of political participation, thereby offering novel perspectives on the study of social media as a new instrument of political debate. In this regard, the political communication facilitated by social media is characterised by an accentuated dramatization of discourse, which, nevertheless, is not accompanied by a comprehensive argumentation of the message. It is therefore not surprising how frequently politicians use social media as a means of implementing rhetorical strategies for achieving consensus