multi-modal discourse, grounded theory, mixed digital methods
Topical Specialization
Populism, political performance, democratisation
Regional Specialization
Europe, South Africa
Bio
My research interests are focused on communicative pathologies of democracy in an international comparative perspective. I focus on populism’s affinity with the media ecology. Within this I address symbolic practices of political meaning-making, especially on social media and the evolving relationship between truth and authenticity in the new media environment. I convene the Political Communication Research Group at the School of Media and Communication, University of Leeds, and the Political Studies Populism Specialist Group. I have published on populism, democratisation and mediatisation, aesthetic politics and democratic listening on social media. My first book, Populist Communication: Ideology, Performance, Mediation, was published with Palgrave in 2021 and won the ICA Global Communication and Social Change Division’s Best Book Award in 2022.
Lone Sorensen