Social conflict: Berlin between freedom of expression and AfD alarm!

Social conflict: Berlin between freedom of expression and AfD alarm!

Vienna, Österreich - The political discourse in Germany takes worrying twists: an Austrian who lives in Berlin recently said that the middle parties "do not get anything together" in combating right-wing populist currents such as the AfD. While he lives in his homogeneous environment in Berlin, a noticeable division is shown throughout the country, which is particularly pronounced in the capital. He sees current challenges like the Middle East conflict as an example of how discussions can often lead to decisive broken lines in friendships. With regard to the upcoming Bundestag election campaign, he accused the Germans that they should want "Austrian conditions", since the Austrian society apparently deals better with right -wing populist tendencies, as the article of vienna.at reported.

In the context of the Bundestag election campaign 2025, attention is drawn to the AfD, in particular to her top candidate Alice Weidel. A booster for her visibility is the support of the US billionaire Elon Musk, which argues with controversial statements and a remarkable reach on the platform X (formerly Twitter). Musk recently said: "Only the AfD Can Save Germany". These provocative statements have the consequence that the medial presence of Weidel and the AfD increases significantly, which is evidenced by an analysis of Leibniz-hbi.de During the week when a conversation between Musk and Weidel took place, the media reporting on Weidel reached its previous maximum with 205 articles, most of which also mentioned.

dynamics of digital attention economics

The support from Musk shows how digital platforms influence political events and how important this is for the communication of the AfD. Musk, who is known for his polarizing statements, has managed to strategically promote the discourse of the radical rights. His interventions have both a massive increase in the visibility of Weidel in public and postponed the limits of political discussion. Experts warn that such dynamics can destabilize conventional mechanisms of political will formation. With a pronounced focus on digital attention economics, it becomes clear how important it is to critically question the media discourses and to counter the heated political atmosphere.