Social Media Lab – SML @ULB

The Social Media Lab@ULB (SML) is an initiative of Caroline Close (ULB), Lucas Kins (ULB) and Laura Jacobs (UAntwerp). Created in 2022, the initial goal of the SML was to become an observatory of political actors’ communication on social media in Belgium. It now includes broader perspectives on the digitalisation of political organisations and of their communication; develops deep-rooted analyses of the content of parties and politicians’ messages on social media; and reflect upon the consequences of these developments for citizens, the public sphere and democracy in general.

To stay up to date with our latest research, check out our LinkedIn profile.

Context

Social media platforms and digital technologies have become a powerful tool for political organisations globally. Social media play a crucial role in connecting the political world with “traditional” media and citizens. As a result, they are increasingly used by political actors–including political organisations and individual politicians (e.g., Members of Parliament, party presidents, ministers)—for both campaign and “permanent communication” purposes, to inform the public about their activities and programme, to set the political agenda and to maintain contacts with civil society and journalists. Similarly, civil society, media professionals and citizens use social media to get informed about political decisions, express their opinion and interact with other citizens and (less often) political actors or even journalists.

The advent and generalisation of social media and digital technologies use by political organisations have nevertheless brought concerns regarding their impact on the quality of democratic debates and processes. While social media have allowed a more direct, permanent and unfiltered communication between elites and citizens, their affordances and logics —particularly algorithmic ones—have greatly enhanced the visibility of political attacks and uncivil rhetoric. As a result, social media have often been associated with rising levels of polarisation, both ideological and affective. The uncontrolled nature of communication on social media has also been linked to the spread of conspiracy theories, misinformation and the use of generative AI to manipulate opinion and influence electoral outcomes.

Research questions

Research conducted by the Social Media Lab closely examines the way political parties and elites, particularly in Belgium (Dutch and French-speaking communities), develop their organisation and communication online; the content of this communication; and the ways in which this digitalisation and communication affect public spaces and citizens’ behaviour(s). The SML activities stand at the crossroads of studies on political parties, political communication, representation and public opinion research. They reflect at least three major axes.

(1) Digitalisation of parties and of their communication

This first axis deals with how political organisations and political elites at large integrate (or shy away from) digital tools, for both organisational (e.g., internal consultation, citizens’ engagement, etc.) and campaign/communication purposes.

Among other questions, the axis explores: what are party elites and staff attitudes towards digital tools? When it comes to communication, what are their preferred platforms—and how do they strategically use them? How do political parties manage their communication on social media, internally? On what social media platforms are they present and to what platform do they allocate their resources? To what extent is communication on social media (de)centralised? What are the differences between and within political parties in terms of social media use and digital tools integration? How personalised are parties’ communication strategies on social media?

(2) Content of political communication on social media

This second axis examines how political organisations and elites communicate on social media. At the descriptive level, it conceptualises and investigates a broad range of dimensions: types of issues, negative campaigning, incivility, group appeals, authenticity and conspiratorial discourse. At the analytical level, it explores variations across political actors, platforms and context, and tries to uncover how political actors adapt their strategies accordingly.

Research questions involve: which issues are highlighted by political actors online and how does this relate to issue ownership and party reputations? Which social groups are political parties targeting, both positively (in-group appeal) and negatively (out-group derogation)? To what extent do political actors use negative communication or incivility in their publications? Which types of political attacks (issue or personal-based) are the most used, by which parties and towards which political challengers? How do political actors attempt to 'perform’ authenticity in their online communication? How do parties and elites’ communication strategies on social media vary along the electoral cycle? How do radical (right) parties communicate online and spread their messages? To what extent to political actors adopt AI in their social media communication?

(3) Political communication on social media and its consequences

This third axis studies the effects of political actors’ communication on social media. Consequences are examined among citizens and in the public sphere more generally. At the citizen level, research questions include: How much do citizens use social media to get political information? How do citizens react online to and engage (like, share, comment) with  different types of (content of) political communication? What are the effects of negative/positive communication on citizens’ attitudes and affects (trust, polarisation)? Do social media boost perceived authenticity, and influence voters’ evaluation of parties and politicians? In the public sphere, the research explores: How (and which) messages do circulate across platforms and legacy media? What are the consequences for the media ecosystem?

Financing

The SML has been supported by the Philosophy and Social Sciences Faculty (Crédits de recherche, 2022-2023; 2025-2026), by the ULB Research Department (Fonds d’Encouragement à la recherche, 2024-2026) and by an ARC fund (Action de Recherche Concertée, 2024-2027).

Related projects

• ARC "Belgian-style compromise ?"
• ARC "POLHYBRID – Political Conflict in Hybrid Media Systems"
• BRIAS DEGO
• EOS NotLikeUS
• Post-Truth Politics and Political Parties
• ReDIT

News media

03/04/2026
Le Soir : "Et si, dans un monde en guerre et en crise, l’espoir devenait la clé du succès électoral ?"
 

28/03/2026
Le Vif : "Le but, c’est de mettre son adversaire K.O. : comment la politique devient de plus en plus brutale"


02/10/2025
L’Echo : "Les partis politiques belges ont accéléré leurs dépenses sur Facebook avant l'interdiction des publicités politiques"
 

29/09/2025
Le Vif : "Une carte blanche fait polémique en interne au MR: ‘Le président donne une ligne qui n’est pas le point médian’"
Le Soir : "L’attaque personnelle, une arme politique efficace sur les réseaux sociaux"
 

10/08/2025
Le Soir : "Comment le Vlaams Belang se radicalise dans l’ombre"

31/07/2025
La Libre : "Interdiction de la publicité politique sur Facebook : Cela pourrait pousser les acteurs politiques à tendre vers des contenus plus provocateurs"
 

15/04/2025
 Le Vif : "Tweeter pour exister : comment les partis exploitent leurs personnalités sur les réseaux sociaux ?"

31/01/2025
Le Vif : "Programmes et électeurs sont plus à droite : pourquoi la droitisation du MR est un fait démontré scientifiquement"

29/11/2024
Het Laatste Nieuws : "Universiteiten onderzoeken gedrag van politici op X : 'Economie belangrijkste thema, klimaat verwaarloosbaar'"
La Libre : "Les tweets politiques ont principalement mis l'accent sur l'économie pendant les élections"
Trends : "Une campagne électorale 2024 sous le signe de l'économie, si on en croit les tweets (X's) des personnalités politiques"
Dernière Heure: "Les tweets politiques ont principalement mis l'accent sur l'économie pendant les élections"
Gazet van Antwerpen : "Onderzoek UAntwerpen toont aan dat Belgische politieke partijen X strategisch gebruiken"
Het Nieuwsblad : "Onderzoek UAntwerpen toont aan dat Belgische politieke partijen X strategisch gebruiken"
The Brussels Times : "L'économie a été au centre de la campagne électorale belge, selon les recherches"

07/06/2024
Knack : "Onderzoek ULB en UAntwerpen : Vlaams Belang en PVDA sturen hoogst aantal polariserende tweets"

23/05/2024
Le Vif : "A l'attaque ! Voici les partis les plus offensifs sur X, et leurs cibles favorites"
l'Echo : "Élections 2024 : malgré les attaques des élites politiques, les électeurs belges restent plutôt tolérants"

22/05/2024
De Morgen : "Vooral de Vlaams Belang-kiezers worden verfoeid. Maar dat maakt hen weinig uit"

11/12/2023
Le Vif : "En retrait, le PTB ? Comment l'extrême gauche opte pour une stratégie électorale défensive"

19/07/2023
Knack : "Studie ULB en UAntwerpen : Kwart van tweets verstuurd door partijen en politici zijn aanvallen"

Presentations

Marié, A., Kins, L., Close, C., Jacobs, L., From party lines to personal strategies: Understanding incivility in political actors’ social media communication in Belgium, The State of the Federation 2025, Antwerp.

Kins, L., Close, C., When conflict pays off: Investigating the drivers of engagement on X in Belgium, The State of the Federation 2025, Antwerp.

Marié, A., Kins, L., Close, C., Jacobs, L., Political Elites on X (Twitter): a longitudinal study examining negativity across the electoral cycle in Belgium (2022-2025), ECPR General Conference 2025, Thessaloniki.

Marié, A., Kins, L., Close, C., From party lines to personal strategies: Understanding negativity in Belgian MPs’ social media communication, 9th Conference of the Standing Group on Parliaments, Barcelona.

Grippa, P., Goovaerts, I., Close, C., The Polarizing Effect of Political Attacks: How Elite Discourse on Social Media Fuels Affective Polarization, PoliticologenEtmaal 2025, Groningen.

Kins, L., van Haute, E., Exposing Inter-Party Animosity in a Consociational Democracy: Thorn in the Side or Fatal Blow?, CPSA 2025 Annual Conference, Toronto.

Kins, L., Jacobs, L., Close, C., Sticking to issues: How competition for ownership drives negativity in Belgium on X beyond elections, CPSA 2025 Annual Conference, Toronto.

Kins, L., Concern, indifference or something else? Analysing attitudes of party staff towards digital campaign tools in Belgium, CPSA 2024 Annual Conference, Montreal.

Close, C., Rangoni, S., Kins, L., Representative democracy under attack? Analyzing political parties and MPs’ discourses in French-speaking Belgium, CPSA 2023 Annual Conference, Toronto.

Kins, L., Jacobs, L., Massive attack? Negative campaigning in online political communication of parties in Belgium: Bringing in the role of issue ownership and competition, PoliticologenEtmaal 2022, Nijmegen; CPSA 2023 Annual Conference/ICA 2023, Toronto.

Paulis, E., Jacobs, L., Kins, L., Claessens, P., Un cadastre des parlementaires belges sur les réseaux sociaux, Conférence « Parlements et parlementaires dans les médias », Brussels.
 

Kins, L., Professionalized digital campaigns? Analysing tasks distribution and attitudes of digital communication staff in Belgian parties, ECPR General Conference 2022, Innsbruck.

Publications

Close, C., Jacobs, L., Kins, L., (2026). Partis politiques et réseaux sociaux en Belgique : une communication polarisante ? Analyse de la plateforme X, In : La démocratie à l’épreuve de la polarisation, Academia.


Kins, L., Close, C., Geshef, S., (2026). La communication numérique des listes électorales locales lors du scrutin de 2024, In : Les élections locales du 13 octobre 2024 en Wallonie et à Bruxelles, Presses universitaires de Louvain.

Kins, L., Close, C., Jacobs, L., (2025). La communication des partis d'extrême droite sur les réseaux sociaux en Belgique, In : L’extrême-droite en Belgique, CRISP.
 

Close, C., Jacobs, L., Kins, L., (2024). Comment les parts politiques francophones séduisent ou divisent sur le réseau social X, Revue Politique.
 

Close, C., Jacobs, L., Kins, L., (2024). Favoring ingroups, derogating from outgroups: how populist parties in Belgium polarize on social media. Acta Politica, (online first)
 

Kins, L., Close, C., Jacobs, L., (2024). Hoe spreken politieke partijen ons aan op X,  Samenleving en politiek (31) 6.
 

Sbaraglia F., Close C., Kins L., (2024). Elections 2024. La lutte contre la pauvreté dans les discours et programmes des parts politiques francophones en Belgique, Pauvérité.
 

van Haute, E., Close, C., & Kins, L. (2024). Les stratégies du Vlaams Belang en termes d’organisation et de communication. Les cahiers du libre examen.

Reports

Biesemans, R., Kins, L., (2026). LGBTQIA+ issues in the social media communication of Belgian parties, Social Media Lab@ULB.
 

Jacobs, L., Kins, L., Close, C., Marié, (2025). Attacks for likes: how negative campaigning boosts party leaders’ voice on X, Social Media Lab@ULB.

Kins, L., Marié, A., Jacobs, L., Close, C., (2025). Politicians in the spotlight: the personalization of Belgian parties’ communication on X, Social Media Lab@ULB.

Marié A., Kins, L., Close, C., Jacobs, L., (2024). All about the economy? Issue emphasis in Belgian parties’ communication on X before and during the 2024 election campaign, Social Media Lab@ULB & NotLikeUs.

van Haute, E., & Kins, L., Close, C. (2024). Analyse du positionnement des parts belges francophones autour des thématiques de biodiversité, agriculture, aménagement du territoire et énergie. Natagora.

Close, C., Kumar, T., Kins, L., Jacobs, L., (2023). Les parts politiques et leurs président·e·s sur Twitter : quelles tendances un an avant l’élection de 2024, Social Media Lab@ULB