Personalization (politics)
Personalization in politics describes an effort by parties and politicians in their political advertising, especially in their election campaigns , to put individual people and their personal characteristics in the foreground and to ascribe the responsibility for political decisions in public to these people.
Development in Germany
In Germany, the Bundestag election campaigns of the SPD in 1998 and 2002, shaped by Gerhard Schröder , as well as the reaction of the CDU / CSU candidate Edmund Stoiber and his election campaign team in 2002 are considered exemplary breakthroughs in a new, highly personalized political style. Political scientist Christina Holtz-Bacha sees this development as a reaction to the phenomenon that an increasing proportion of voters only decide in favor of one of the parties very shortly before an election. Supporters of personalization assume that these decisions are made spontaneously and emotionally and are therefore strongly influenced by personal sympathies and antipathies for the respective top candidates.
Part of this development is the frequent appearance of politicians as celebrities on talk shows and similar television formats, often less about political issues than about personal characteristics, preferences and personality traits of politicians. In addition, spouses, children and other relatives of the candidates appear in public.
The effects of personalization on democracy and political culture are controversial. Proponents emphasize that personalization can bring political issues closer to people who are unrelated to politics. The voters also have a right to learn more about the personality of the candidates. Critics fear that general political issues and controversies will be suppressed by non-political aspects such as family life or the hobbies of individuals. Carsten Brosda sees the "danger that politics will no longer be conveyed in an argumentative and problem-oriented manner, but more emotionally and impact-centered".
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ Christina Holtz-Bacha: Personalized and emotional: strategies of the modern election campaign. From Politics and Contemporary History February 9, 2006. Online , accessed February 20, 2019
- ↑ Kathrin Kaschura: Politicians as celebrities - the view of the audience. From Politics and Contemporary History February 9, 2006. Online , accessed February 20, 2019
- ↑ Carsten Brosda: Emotions and Expressivity in Political Talks. The emotional dimension of politician discussions on television, in: Talk on all channels. TV Talk Show offers, actors and users. Ed. V. J. Tenscher et al. C. Schicha, Wiesbaden 2002, p. 383