Political microtargeting: Towards a pragmatic approach

Peter Aagaard and Selma Marthedal

Internet Policy Review: Journal on Internet Regulation, 2023, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-22

Abstract: It has become increasingly popular for scholars to investigate the technology of political, personal microtargeting (PMT). We review a sample of 62 research articles in the field of political PMT and argue that these studies can be grouped according to different orientations: an interpretative orientation, either expressing hopes for voter mobilisation or strong concerns for democracy and voter manipulation, or a descriptive orientation, viewing PMT as a supplement to the traditional elements of political campaigns. We argue that these two orientations must continuously be mixed thoughtfully in a pragmatic approach that addresses public concerns on highly empirical grounds to avoid technological myths.

Keywords: Political campaigns; Microtargeting; Social media; Data campaigning; Personal data protection (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:zbw:iprjir:271329

DOI: 10.14763/2023.1.1690

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