“And if it’s not good enough for the algorithms then it is not. That’s it.”
Data practices in the everyday life of young politicians
Keywords:
social media, political communication, datafication, platforms, young politiciansAbstract
Social media platforms are essential mediums for political communication and publicity in Western democracies. While meanings of the rapid communicative change are well researched, the effects of data-driven media environment for politicians’ everyday life are still understudied. This article approaches the phenomenon in relation to deep mediatization. Generating knowledge on deep mediatization is important to better grasp the role and power of novel media technologies over politics. Methodologically the article combines young Finnish political actors’ media diaries with interview speech. Data analysis utilizes the concept of data practice to make visible how user practices are molded by the technological logics of social media platforms. The article suggests that the datafied media constitutes preconditions for political agency. These preconditions are not coercive. Rather, politicians negotiate platforms’ role in their everyday life practices.
