The role of content personalisation in political social media campaigning: a review of political microtargeting

Abstract

Abstract Political microtargeting has been widely debated as a potential threat to democratic societies. However, after more than a decade of research on its implementation in political campaigns and effects on the electorate, questions about its actual impact remain unanswered. This article examines the current state of research on political microtargeting, with a focus on content personalisation as a defining feature. First, the term microtargeting is defined based on previous studies to also consider adequate operationalisations. Further, empirical findings on its use by political actors and findings of the potential impact on voters are summarised, highlighting content personalisation as a crucial element of microtargeting. A theoretical framework is proposed to explain the mechanisms of content personalisation in political social media campaigns. This framework considers the role of political and personal predispositions in shaping the effectiveness of personalised political communication. Distinguishing relevant factors of personalisation and their respective influence contributes to future research and the ongoing discussion on the impact of content personalisation on democratic societies.

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