Aarhus University Seal

Lene Aarøe

AIAS FORMER FELLOW

Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Aarhus University

During her AIAS-SHAPE fellowship, Lene Aarøe worked on the project 'Social Media Exemplars and Democratic Citizenship'

Project Description

The use of an exemplar refers to the use of the narrative of a concrete person who is personally affected by the issue – to make otherwise complex social problems more understandable and interesting. In my project at AIAS, I will investigate why some types of social media exemplars are so powerful in triggering digital engagement and shaping factual perceptions of social problems and attributions of government responsibility, while other types of exemplars are uninfluential. How can the impact of misleading unrepresentative social media exemplars be mitigated? The results from the project advance knowledge of a) the degree of diversity in how societal problems are illustrated with social media exemplars, b) how social media exemplars shape democratic engagement on social media, and c) the digital sources of mobilization, factual (mis)perceptions, and democratic responsibility attributions in the mass public.

Project title: Social Media Exemplars and Democratic Citizenship

Area of research: Political psychology and political communication

Fellowship period: 1 Sep 2023 - 30 Jun 2024

Fellowship type: AIAS-SHAPE fellow

This fellowship has received funding from The Aarhus University Research Foundation (AUFF)