Technologies and populism: how Donald Trump manipulates the political agenda

Abstract

The article considers the influence of technological development on the rise of populist political actors. The authors reflect on the latest political developments, including the electoral successes of parties and presidential candidates which are commonly associated with populistic rhetoric and policies, and confirm the initial hypothesis concerning the causal relations between digital technologies and these movements’ popularity. To this end, the article overviews the general approaches to understanding populistic policies and how their spread is facilitated by the development of technologies.