ABSTRACT
The past decade has witnessed hardened views towards immigration and multiculturalism in the Nordic countries. New populist parties aligned with anti-immigrant movements have gained support in all Nordic countries except Iceland. In Finland, the populist party ‘The Finns’, with an anti-immigrant agenda, became the third largest party in 2013, and currently has 39 members in the parliament of 200 representatives. The emergence of populism has shaped the political life and political practices of Finland in various ways. It has impacted on the ways in which traditional parties address their voters, the issues they engage in and the ways in which issues of immigration and multiculturalism are discussed in public. In this context, social media appears to hold a significant role as a new political arena that shapes the structures of public debates. According to recent research, the overall tone of public discussion has become more aggressive, partly due to the new forums of social media that operate in terms of anonymity and distance (Pöyhtäri et al. 2013).
