Introduction
This series of articles from the European Center for Digital Action explores the evolving use of digital tools and strategies in political and social campaigns across Europe, covering case studies, technological impacts, democratic implications, and ethical considerations.
Articles
Posting the Protest: Lessons from Students in Serbia
When a government controls the public debate and media narratives to cover up systemic corruption, does a spontaneous uprising of young students stand a chance? This article looks at how Serbian students challenged the ruling party over its authoritarianism by adopting a daring and innovative approach to their public communications—and what happened next.
The students understood that there is no rulebook or formula that they should follow. They created their own authentic voice and symbols that stood out. They didn’t use stale or predictable slogans. This helped recognizability and trust.
One of the remarkable things the students did was owning the narrative at each stage of the protest. First, they reclaimed national symbols—flag and anthem—previously misused by the ruling party and nationalist allies, giving it back to the people. Then, they started owning the communication narrative, making the government respond to them, rather than allowing it to set the tone like in the past.
Report: The social media domination of the German far right
This report was written for the European Center for Digital Action in the lead up to the German election in February 2025. The purpose of this report is to examine how far-right parties—specifically the German AfD—use digital tools and platforms for campaigning, and what insights we can apply to our own digital organizing.
As this report lays out, the AfD owes its social domination to its understanding of the platforms; its capacity to adapt content and strategy to the algorithms; and its ability to mobilise a larger far right network. This report also addresses the party’s offline mobilisation, its attacks on opponents and its fundraising.
Against all odds: Saving Budapest Pride
Despite massive obstacles, Budapest Pride took place on 28 June 2025 with a huge turnout. The event marked its 30th anniversary with a march under the slogan “Itt(hon) vagyunk” (“We are here/home”). Not only did organizers and activists overcome the repression tactics and attacks against them, they supercharged the momentum behind the march by framing it as a symbol of the bigger crackdown on rights in Hungary.
Through social media, pledges and letter campaigns, Budapest Pride focused on talking to everyone who values democracy and freedom. To get people on board, they stayed on message and created content around the need of Hungarians to live in a democratic country again. Repeating and circulating this message evoked solidarity in Hungarians and the free media also chose to emphasize the solidarity aspect of the march: if Budapest Pride is banned today who will be silenced tomorrow?
From Grassroots to Policy: The Inspiring Achievements of Pink Box in Poland
Pink Box is a grassroots movement in Poland providing free menstrual products via public lockers, while challenging period poverty and influencing policy change. Learn how they took their project online.
Go viral or go home: The TikTok strategy progressives need
In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, TikTok has emerged as one of the most influential platforms shaping public opinion. With over a billion active users globally, it’s not just for teens showing off dance moves—it’s a powerful channel to connect with voters, especially younger, politically-engaged audiences.
In this post a senior organizer at ECDA and former digital lead for a Belgian policymaker who fully embraced TikTok, explains how to master the platform. If your candidate or MP isn’t on TikTok yet, this success story might just convince you!
Progressives often hesitate to engage on digital territory where far-right groups predominate. Yet, TikTok represents a critical front in the battle for young voters. If progressives don’t actively participate, they risk conceding significant ground in shaping future political discourse.
Where to place political ads
with new meta limitations & algorithms working against progressives
Now that Instagram is limiting political content and the algorithms aren’t helping either, this brief contains research on other platforms progressives should try to run ads on for social and political campaigns. (You will need to sign up to ECDA to access this article.)
The Death of the Follower: Progressive Organizing in the Age of Algorithmic Discovery
How to deal with the death of the follower? Adapt to algorithm-driven social media by using different strategies, e.g micro-influencers and alternative platforms.
We could Crowdfund a Progressive Europe for the People, by the People
Progressives are struggling to not only mobilise citizens behind movements that can effectively push back at the rising tide of right-wing populism, but also win. A move towards community financing could give them the ammunition they need, Mar Garcia Sanz writes.
The tactics laid down by Sanders and other progressives including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are now being adopted widely in races of all sizes, and helping candidates and movements that, historically, may have faced funding barriers — including those fronted by women, people of colour, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and low-income Americans.
A move towards community financing could give them the ammunition they need, in this regard, and inject a much-needed dose of democracy into our political systems. By encouraging small and regular donations, there is an opportunity to engage and bring more citizens into the progressive tent for the long term.
AI in 2024: How the Latest Tech will be used in Political Campaigns
…Today’s AI is more powerful and pervasive than ever. And in 2024, it’s set to become an integral part of campaign strategies. Emerging technologies, from chatbots to generative AI, are changing the game, helping campaign teams target voters better than ever before. Here’s how political campaigns can stay ahead of the curve…
Hope for Europe: 30 Million Progressive Citizens Ready to Take Action
If you are a progressive citizen today, you have two options, thinks Estratos CEO Ádám Ficsor: you either accept the mainstream narrative that far-right movements are on the rise – that this is their decade – or you challenge this story, and fight back. Choosing the second does not require you to challenge reality: a study examining political leanings across thirty-two European countries paints a more hopeful picture of the political present in Europe.
Apart from offering us hope, these numbers tell us that the most important component of progressive power is already in place: a large number of people ready to take action. But power is not just about numbers: it is also, importantly, about community activism and engagement.
“We are not conservative in our ideals, why would we be conservative in our tactics?” Inside Spain’s successful Sumar campaign
Inside Spain’s successful Sumar campaign…Left-wing platform Sumar managed to do in Spain what many progressive parties in Europe are struggling to achieve: push back against the rising far-right and reconnect with the people. It would not have been possible without digital organizing, say the people behind their 2023 election campaign.
How a platform this young managed to do what many traditional progressive parties in Europe – parties with the weight of decades behind them – are struggling to accomplish, has left quite a few people in European politics scratching their heads. But with a Socialist-Sumar coalition now officially inaugurated as government, and
…Sumar did not do well despite their lack of weight but rather because of it: it made them flexible and dynamic enough to create a real people’s movement and a successful campaign, using tactics tailored to the present.
A Perfect Match: Populism and Deepfakes by Tibor
AI is increasingly used by populist campaigns to manipulate the truth, writes Tibor Dessewffy, director of the Hungarian Digital Sociology Research Centre. Deepfakes can be used to create messages that resonate with audiences – regardless of their factual basis. Dessewffy explains what is needed to counter these populist narratives with a unified message of participation, inclusion and progress, harnessing the power of digital topools.
Populist forces, often leaning on persuasive messaging, can use deepfakes to create and disseminate messages that resonate with their audience, regardless of their factual basis. This makes AI a powerful tool in the hands of those who want to shape public opinion without being constrained by the truth.
As populism gains strength, progressive leaders must continue to organize communities, both online and offline, helping them rediscover values that are now under threat. A sense of support and solidarity can help restore and more fairly reorganize the overturned world order.
Explore Further
- Disinformation 101
- Tech, including Artificial Intelligence, and its Relationship to Movement Politics
- How to Create a Successful Digital Campaign: Digital Activism Toolkit
- Movements, Organising and Transformational Politics in the Digital Age
- AI Technologies, Campaigning and Social Change (Commons Conversations Podcasts)
- Navigating AI’s Role in Politics, Campaigns, and Advocacy: The TON Reading List
- European Center for Digital Action Collection