Political Communication, Digital Campaigns and Elections

Abstract

Political communication fulfils a crucial role in modern democracies, because it guarantees an exchange between governmental actors and citizens, especially in times of election campaigns. To better understand political communication and electoral campaigns in the era of the Web 2.0, this panel considers political communication patterns of the supply (government) and demand side (citizens) of the political system. The panel investigates strategic campaigning behaviour during elections over time and aims to examine whether there is an “economic” approach to election campaigns. It raises the question if campaigns are driven by economic context factors and if this is related to negative campaigning. More recently, the Internet plays a crucial role for political participation in the 21st century. During election campaigns, the Internet provides additional forms of communication that have the potential for a more direct communication between politicians and the electorate. By analysing the social media use of politicians during electoral campaigns, factors that explain variance in social media use are investigated. The Internet is not only relevant for election campaigns and the supply side of the political spectrum, but also the demand side, namely the citizens. Starting at early age, young people use the Internet for political communication and political participation. The question addressed is to what extent this is the case and whether user-specific patterns of individual political communication can be identified. By drawing on campaign material, social media as well as survey data, this panel aims to generate a debate about recent patterns and change in political communication and participation.

Title	Details
Campaigning on Facebook and Twitter. Explaining Communication Patterns of Candidates in the Social Web During Germany’s Federal Election Campaign 2013	View Paper Details
Patterns of Individual Political Communication Among German Youth	View Paper Details
Individual Predispositions as a Moderator of Framing Effects	View Paper Details
Agenda-Setting Dynamics in Complex Information Environments	View Paper Details