The influence of digital information technologies on politics has sparked vigorous debate in recent years. Many contend that the removal of traditional gatekeepers has unleashed a torrent of misinformation, with hidden algorithms manipulating public attitudes. This, it is argued, has led to the rejection of public health guidelines, belief in populist slogans, and even involvement in coup attempts. Furthermore, the fragmented media landscape has confined people to echo chambers, exacerbating political polarization and creating an epistemic divide where different groups hold divergent versions of the truth.

Despite these widespread concerns, our knowledge of how individuals actually interact with the contemporary media system—and how this shapes their political views—remains limited. Concepts relating to this influence are often vague, and the greatest “black box” is still the media user. We have a limited grasp of how individuals choose content, the factors that shape these choices, and how this content contributes to their formation of political opinions.

To address this gap, this dissertation undertakes an in-depth exploration of the user perspective within German-language alternative media ecologies. These ecologies circulate a blend of misinformation, hyper-partisan news, and satirical content, setting themselves apart from a purported “mainstream.” Through repeated interviews and ethnographic observation over two and a half years, I traced how alternative media users formed political opinions during the successive politicizations of issues such as the so-called “refugee crisis”, COVID-19 policies, and the Russia-Ukraine war.

The first part of this dissertation examines how individuals immerse themselves in alternative media ecologies, influenced by both personal experiences and the politicization of specific crises. This immersion is highly participatory, as users engage actively in seeking, collecting, and sharing content, which strengthens their connection to alternative media.

I propose the concept of “information styles” to describe stable engagement patterns in these media spaces, identifying four styles: constructivist, particularist, diversionist, and contrarian. Special focus is given to the “contrarian style,” where users develop a distinct oppositional stance, consistently challenging mainstream narratives, which deeply shapes their political subjectivity.

The second part of the dissertation examines how this alternative media culture, and more specifically the contrarian style, reshapes contemporary political mobilization dynamics. Focusing on the German anti-lockdown protests, I first show how alternative media users translate their online content-seeking experiences into political activism.

Additionally, I analyze the dynamic between contrarian media users and the far-right populist party, Alternative für Deutschland (AfD). Through mechanisms I term “Informed Confrontation” and “Excluded Outsider,” contrarian voters form connections with the AfD, but these are unstable and frequently shift with rapid issue politicization.

Overall, this study demonstrates that by better understanding media usage cultures, we can grasp emerging forms of political affiliation that make contemporary politics both more intense and more volatile.