How to Hijack Twitter: Online Polarisation Strategies of Germany's Political Far-Right

TL;DR

This paper investigates how Germany's far-right party AfD uses 'hashjacking' to polarize online discourse, revealing strategic digital communication tactics that influence political polarization and electoral success.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of 'hashjacking' as a strategic tool used by far-right parties to manipulate online discourse and enhance polarization.

Findings

Right-wing politicians effectively polarize discourse through hashjacking.

Hashjacking amplifies the reach and influence of far-right online messaging.

Digital strategies significantly impact political success and polarization.

Abstract

With a network approach, we examine the case of the German far-right party Alternative f\"ur Deutschland (AfD) and their potential use of a "hashjacking" strategy. Our findings suggest that right-wing politicians (and their supporters/retweeters) actively and effectively polarise the discourse not just by using their own party hashtags, but also by "hashjacking" the political party hashtags of other established parties. The results underline the necessity to understand the success of right-wing parties, online and in elections, not entirely as a result of external effects (e.g. migration), but as a direct consequence of their digital political communication strategy.