Kai Arzheimer

@kai-arzheimer.com

8K followers 4K following 4.7K posts

Politics Prof @powimz.bsky.social | parties, elections, attitudes, behaviour | right-wing extremism/populism/radicalism https://www.kai-arzheimer.com/

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Kai Arzheimer is a German professor of Political Science at the University of Mainz. Previously, he was a Lecturer in German and West European Politics at the Department of Government of the University of Essex. In 2017-2018, he held the Hannah Arendt Visiting Chair in German and European Studies at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy at the University of Toronto. .. more

Political science 68%

Sociology 12%

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Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 8h

A chunk of the incredible computing power available to mankind in 2025 is used to clone Hitler's voice in a bid to appeal to younger generations. So far, so unsurprisingly depressing. What really 𝘥𝘪𝘥 surprise me though is that TikTok moderation is quite effective, compared to other networks.

For over a year, neo-Nazi networks have been exploiting readily available AI voice-cloning tools to produce English-language versions of Adolf Hitler’s speeches, circulating them on TikTok, X, Instagram, and YouTube. These AI-generated videos have collected over fifty million views according to a report published by ISD in September 2024, subtly normalising extremist ideology by recasting Hitler as a misunderstood leader and embedding antisemitic or conspiracist narratives into emotionally engaging content, while continuing to elude platform moderation. This Insight examines how these deepfakes are created, how they spread extremist messages without overt symbols, assesses the effectiveness of current platform responses, and offers evidence-based recommendations for stakeholders operating under the Digital Services Act.

gnet-research.org

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 10h

You tell me, little bot

RRResRobot @rrresrobot.bsky.social · 8d

Do androids dream of stable URLs?

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 12h

"Käse" außerhalb von Quebec oft das größere Problem

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Zack Bornstein @zackbornstein.bsky.social · 12h

BREAKING: Trump pardons turkey who appeared 28 times on Epstein flight logs

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer, Prokla Redaktion, Klaus Oschema

Johannes Franzen @johannesfranzen.bsky.social · 18h

Die @bpb.de hat sich von X verabschiedet und wird deswegen massiv von rechts kritisiert. Ich denke, da sollte man mal reinfolgen.

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 21h

My year in review

Four-panel image of distressed faces from various memes, text overlay: "staying informed in 2025".

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Thomas Lumley @tslumley.bsky.social · 1d

I build parsimonious models; you practice dimension reduction for feasibility; they make restrictive assumptions
#IrregularVerbs

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 1d

It had nothing to lose but its chains #farright #research

The Radical Right Research Robot breaks free from Twitter

To raise awareness of the large body of knowledge of research on far-right parties and their voters, the Radical Right Research Robot (RRRR) has been tweeting random references from the Extreme Right Bibliography since February 2018 and hopefully making everyone happy. However, Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform and the subsequent changes to its algorithm ... Read more Related posts: Interview mit der dpa zum Rheinland-Pfalz Monitor 2025 Brexit : What I learned from watching BBC News for 48 hours straight ECPR Joint Sessions 2013 have a Facebook Fanpage

www.kai-arzheimer.com

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Lamya Kaddor @lamyakaddor.bsky.social · 1d

Die Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz hat eine spannende Studie vorgestellt. Das Ergebnis: Islamfeindlichkeit kommt von Fremdenhass, nicht vom christlichem Glauben. Rechtspopulisten instrumentalisieren christliche Identität für Islamfeindlichkeit. Das sehen wir bei der AfD!

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 1d

Don't publish, don't perish #AcademicWriting #AcademicChatter

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Stats

There's got to be SOME hypothesis that makes our experiment useless. THINK

www.smbc-comics.com

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Johannes Hillje @jhillje.bsky.social · 1d

Als selbsternannte „Stimme der Mehrheit“ schafft es #NIUS nicht einmal unter die 100 meistaufgerufenen Nachrichtenportale. Grotesk, wie viel Aufmerksamkeit manche aus Politik und Medien diesem Nischenportal schenken.

➡️ kress.de/news/beitrag...

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 1d

This is very good: 'Democracy's challenge isn't distinguishing real from synthetic, but building institutions capable of governing commercial platforms whose business model depends on polarisation.'

The 'Dead Internet Theory' and the rise of synthetic politics

The Dead Internet Theory, once dismissed as 'paranoid fantasy', now offers a disturbingly useful framework for understanding digital politics. Mimi Mihăilescu argues that the theory's growing credibility masks deeper questions about whether we're overestimating AI's political power while underestimating our willingness to accept technological determinism

theloop.ecpr.eu

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 1d

#RetroPost How the #AfD made populist right-wing radicalism almost normal in #Germany (free preprint)

Don't mention the war! How populist right-wing radicalism became (almost) normal in Germany - kai arzheimer

The rise of the "Alternative for Germany" shows that Germany is not immune to radical right-wing populism. As of 2019, the result is even less flexibility

www.kai-arzheimer.com

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

PoWiMZ @powimz.bsky.social · 1d

In the context of our cooperation with @Middlebury #ProjectsforPeace, JGU students can receive a $10.000 grant to conduct a project to develop innovative, community-centered, and scalable responses to the world’s most pressing issues. See: internationale.politik.uni-mainz.de/2025/11/21/c...

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 1d

Apropos of nothing, 2x2 tables were the pinnacle of social theory #PhDComics #AcademicChatter

A 2x2 comic grid titled “The Academic Path,” mapping academic roles (Grad Student, Postdoc, Assistant Professor, Tenured Professor) against axes of “Knows what they’re doing” and “Acts like they know what they’re doing,” with a red path tracing progression.

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 2d

Not Ready for a Female President?

“Michelle Obama” by Gage skidmore is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 WaPo (“Michel...

outsidethebeltway.com

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 2d

Not too much substance in this article, but it's a funny weekend read

Elon Musk: Better Than Jesus?

Grok is trying to rewrite history on behalf of its creator.

www.theatlantic.com

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Heike Klüver @heikekluever.bsky.social · 2d

🚀 Giving the Laufer Lecture at the LMU!

🏛️ Honored to speak about current challenges to democracy and how we can strengthen democratic resilience.

📊 Amongst others, I present our Brandmauer study featured in a recent op-ed in the SZ.

📅 24 Nov 2025, 14:00
📍 Great Hall (E120)

tinyurl.com/3shaawbt

Demokratie: Wenn die Rechte mitregiert, wird sie nicht geschwächt – im Gegenteil

Eine Untersuchung von 57 Ländern zeigt: Wenn die Rechte in Verantwortung kommt, gewinnt sie dazu. Daraus lässt sich für Deutschland lernen.

tinyurl.com

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

PHD Comics @phdcomics.com · 2d

Academic Rejection

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 2d

I feel seen. Literally.

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 2d

There are very good reasons 𝘯𝘰𝘵 to panic about the #AfD's success in the #btw25 election, but their result is certainly historic. Want to know more? Or just can't go back to sleep? Tune in to my chat with Selcuk Gultasli

Professor Kai Arzheimer: AfD’s Surge is a Game-Changer in Post-War German Politics

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has doubled its vote share in the February 23 elections, marking what Professor Kai Arzheimer calls “a turning point in post-war German politics.” While expected, this surge solidifies the AfD as Germany’s second-strongest party, normalizing far-right rhetoric in mainstream discourse. Arzheimer highlights how economic anxiety, deindustrialization, and anti-immigration sentiment fuel AfD’s rise. He also warns that mainstream parties risk losing credibility by mimicking far-right policies rather than offering bold alternatives. Despite its growing influence, AfD’s radicalization presents both an opportunity and a challenge for German democracy. As political fragmentation deepens, the response of centrist parties will determine whether this shift is temporary—or part of a long-term realignment. Interview by Selcuk Gultasli The Alternative for Germany (AfD) has cemented itself as a formidable force in German politics, nearly doubling its vote share in the February 23 elections compared to 2021. According to Professor Kai Arzheimer, a...

www.youtube.com

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Leonardo Carella @leonardocarella.bsky.social · 2d

POV: you're teaching political science but the internet has turned your brain to mush.

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 2d

Amen

Steven Fielding @polprofsteve2024.bsky.social · 2d

I think we should file it under “just because you can survey people about a subject doesn’t mean you should survey people about a subject“.

Reposted by Kai Arzheimer

Steven Fielding @polprofsteve2024.bsky.social · 2d

I think we should file it under “just because you can survey people about a subject doesn’t mean you should survey people about a subject“.

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 3d

(Not so?) different times: eight years ago, #Germany's president had to remind the parties that it is actually their duty to form a government

What's next for Germany after the FDP walked out? We don't know yet - kai arzheimer

The FDP has walked out of the German coalition talks. Here is what will happen next

www.kai-arzheimer.com

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 3d

🇦🇹 Do you remember the Austrian FM who invited Putin to her wedding, then curtsied to him in front of the world press? Turns out that the rest of her biography is just as, er, unconventional. 🇦🇹 #podcast

Dancing with Putin: how Austria’s former foreign minister found a new home in Russia – podcast

Karin Kneissl made headlines around the world when she invited the Russian president to her wedding in 2018. Five years later, she moved to St Petersburg. The scandal revealed a dark truth about the ties between Vienna and Moscow.By Amanda Coakley. Read by Avena Mansergh-Wallace

www.theguardian.com

Kai Arzheimer @kai-arzheimer.com · 3d

John makes many interesting points here, and yet I fear that this is only Musk's latest grift but by no means his last

Musk’s last grift — Crooked Timber

The US is one big grift these days: the Trump Administration, traditional and social media, corporations, crypto, financial markets are all selling some kind of spurious promise. It’s hard to pick the most egregious example. But for me, it’s hard to go past Tesla. Having lost its dominant position in the electric car market, the company ought to be on the edge of delisting. Instead, its current market capitalisation is $US1.33 trillion ($A 2 trillion). Shareholders have just agreed on an incentive deal with Elon Musk, premised on the claim that he can take that number to $8.5 trillion.

crookedtimber.org

Reposted by Jan W. Mueller, David M. Farrell, Kai Arzheimer , and 3 more Jan W. Mueller, David M. Farrell, Kai Arzheimer, Richard Hayton, Jens Rydgren, Tarik Abou‐Chadi

Anna-Sophie Heinze @asheinze.bsky.social · 3d

🎉 New publication 🎉 Why do #youngpeople vote for the #AfD? This question has kept our research project busy for quite some time, so I'm beyond excited that our first article - co-authored with @timonscheuer.bsky.social - is now out in #GermanPolitics! 🤩 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....