This study investigates how right-wing populist parties visually frame the issue of migration on Instagram. Against the backdrop of the growing influence of right-wing populist parties in Europe and the increasing importance of visual communication on social media, the study aims to analyze the visual framing strategies employed by these parties. Social media is regarded as a powerful platform for disseminating right-wing populist narratives, making them accessible to a large audience and contributing to the normalization of such views within society. The study focuses on migration as one of the central themes for right-wing populist parties, examining how these parties frame migration as a threat and the role of emotionalization in this process. Two European right-wing populist parties, the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the French Rassemblement National (RN), are compared in this context. The theoretical framework of the study is based on theories of visual framing and right-wing populism. Visual framing is understood as a process in which specific aspects of reality are highlighted through the selection and design of image elements. Right-wing populism is defined by its core elements of nativism, authoritarianism, and populism. The Integrated Threat Theory serves as the foundation for categorizing threat scenarios in the portrayal of migration, distinguishing between realistic and symbolic threats. In addition to content-related aspects, stylistic devices in images that contribute to emotionalization support the framing of migration as a threat.The study employs a quantitative content analysis of 288 Instagram posts published in 2023 on the official channels of the right-wing populist parties Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Rassemblement National (RN) on the issue of migration. At the time of analysis, both parties were in opposition, with similar time frames to the upcoming national elections. The unit of analysis is the Instagram post, focusing on the image post and its textual components, such as quotes, as well as its visual elements, such as photographs. A deductively developed coding scheme was used to code the posts. The analysis includes the coding of six threat frames (invasion, security threat, economic threat, cultural threat, health threat, political failure). Additionally, the level of emotionalization in the posts was assessed based on six visual stylistic features (representation of people, number of people, camera shot, eye contact, symbolism, facial expressions).The results show that both the AfD and RN predominantly frame migration as an invasion or political failure and portray migrants as criminals in their imagery. The invasion frame appears in 46% of the analyzed posts, the security threat frame and the political failure frame in 35% of both AfD’s and RN’s posts. The economic threat frame results in 15% of the posts, the cultural threat frame in 5%, and the health threat frame in 3% of the posts, thus occurring much less frequently. Both AfD and RN displayed similar visual framing strategies with respect to depicting migration as a threat. The level of emotionalization in the Instagram posts is relatively low. On average, the posts have an emotionalization score of 1,93, with a possible range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 6. AfD posts (M = 2,02) exhibited a higher emotionalization level compared to RN posts (M = 1,84), although in both cases, the posts were generally only mildly emotionalized.The study concludes that right-wing populist parties like the Alternative für Deutschland and the Rassemblement National use Instagram to strategically employ visual framing to depict migration as a threat. Frames that present migration as an invasion, migrants as criminals, and current political policies as failures dominate. These primarily align with threat scenarios that, according to the integrated threat theory, represent realistic threats, particularly existential, physical, and political ones. The emotionalization level of the posts is relatively low, with AfD posts tending to be more emotionally charged than those of RN. The finding that the visual communication of the parties on migration does not significantly differ despite varying political contexts and strategic goals suggests a convergence in the interpretation of these issues among right-wing populist parties across Europe. The results underscore the importance of visual communication in disseminating right-wing populist ideologies on social media. This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the visual framing strategies of right-wing populist parties and expands the body of research on visual framing in political communication. Overall, the study emphasizes the need to critically observe and analyze visual communication in the political sphere, particularly on social media. Understanding these strategies is crucial for addressing the influence of right-wing populist rhetoric on the societal discourse surrounding migration. The study has implications for political education and strategic communication in countering right-wing populist narratives.

Bilder der Bedrohung: Wie die Parteien Alternative für Deutschland und Rassemblement National Migration auf Instagram visuell framen

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2025年10月28日

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Maria Schober,
Irina Lock

摘要

This study investigates how right-wing populist parties visually frame the issue of migration on Instagram. Against the backdrop of the growing influence of right-wing populist parties in Europe and the increasing importance of visual communication on social media, the study aims to analyze the visual framing strategies employed by these parties. Social media is regarded as a powerful platform for disseminating right-wing populist narratives, making them accessible to a large audience and contributing to the normalization of such views within society. The study focuses on migration as one of the central themes for right-wing populist parties, examining how these parties frame migration as a threat and the role of emotionalization in this process. Two European right-wing populist parties, the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and the French Rassemblement National (RN), are compared in this context. The theoretical framework of the study is based on theories of visual framing and right-wing populism. Visual framing is understood as a process in which specific aspects of reality are highlighted through the selection and design of image elements. Right-wing populism is defined by its core elements of nativism, authoritarianism, and populism. The Integrated Threat Theory serves as the foundation for categorizing threat scenarios in the portrayal of migration, distinguishing between realistic and symbolic threats. In addition to content-related aspects, stylistic devices in images that contribute to emotionalization support the framing of migration as a threat.

The study employs a quantitative content analysis of 288 Instagram posts published in 2023 on the official channels of the right-wing populist parties Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) and Rassemblement National (RN) on the issue of migration. At the time of analysis, both parties were in opposition, with similar time frames to the upcoming national elections. The unit of analysis is the Instagram post, focusing on the image post and its textual components, such as quotes, as well as its visual elements, such as photographs. A deductively developed coding scheme was used to code the posts. The analysis includes the coding of six threat frames (invasion, security threat, economic threat, cultural threat, health threat, political failure). Additionally, the level of emotionalization in the posts was assessed based on six visual stylistic features (representation of people, number of people, camera shot, eye contact, symbolism, facial expressions).

The results show that both the AfD and RN predominantly frame migration as an invasion or political failure and portray migrants as criminals in their imagery. The invasion frame appears in 46% of the analyzed posts, the security threat frame and the political failure frame in 35% of both AfD’s and RN’s posts. The economic threat frame results in 15% of the posts, the cultural threat frame in 5%, and the health threat frame in 3% of the posts, thus occurring much less frequently. Both AfD and RN displayed similar visual framing strategies with respect to depicting migration as a threat. The level of emotionalization in the Instagram posts is relatively low. On average, the posts have an emotionalization score of 1,93, with a possible range from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 6. AfD posts (M = 2,02) exhibited a higher emotionalization level compared to RN posts (M = 1,84), although in both cases, the posts were generally only mildly emotionalized.

The study concludes that right-wing populist parties like the Alternative für Deutschland and the Rassemblement National use Instagram to strategically employ visual framing to depict migration as a threat. Frames that present migration as an invasion, migrants as criminals, and current political policies as failures dominate. These primarily align with threat scenarios that, according to the integrated threat theory, represent realistic threats, particularly existential, physical, and political ones. The emotionalization level of the posts is relatively low, with AfD posts tending to be more emotionally charged than those of RN. The finding that the visual communication of the parties on migration does not significantly differ despite varying political contexts and strategic goals suggests a convergence in the interpretation of these issues among right-wing populist parties across Europe. The results underscore the importance of visual communication in disseminating right-wing populist ideologies on social media. This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the visual framing strategies of right-wing populist parties and expands the body of research on visual framing in political communication. Overall, the study emphasizes the need to critically observe and analyze visual communication in the political sphere, particularly on social media. Understanding these strategies is crucial for addressing the influence of right-wing populist rhetoric on the societal discourse surrounding migration. The study has implications for political education and strategic communication in countering right-wing populist narratives.