A Dance with Data Unraveling the supply and demand side dynamics of political microtargeting

In the digital age, political microtargeting has emerged as a powerful tool for campaigns to influence voter behavior by delivering tailored messages to specific audiences. This dissertation provides a comprehensive examination of political microtargeting by exploring its mechanisms and real-world applications across the globe. It dissects both the supply side of political microtargeting—digital platforms enabling the practice through their infrastructure and affordances—and the demand side—political entities leveraging these tools for electoral advantage. The dissertation sheds light on the nuanced ways in which digital technologies are reshaping political campaigns by focusing on three key aspects. First, it analyzes the global prevalence of microtargeting across 95 countries during 113 elections between 2020-2022, documenting the extent to which political actors leverage targeting capabilities offered by online platforms. Second, it investigates the influence of ad delivery algorithms on the pricing and distribution of political ads in the Netherlands, introducing the concept of algorithmic microtargeting. Third, it examines the strategic use of microtargeting for delivering negative or uncivil campaign messages in the context of the 2020 US election. The findings highlight the need to study microtargeting comparatively, considering country and party factors, and demonstrate the layers of strategic and algorithmic influence in contemporary data-driven campaigns. These insights underscore the importance of increased transparency in political advertising to facilitate the study of targeted and tailored messaging strategies and emphasize the need for effective regulation of digital platforms to ensure equal access to political information for all citizens.