Capital Question – Discussing Linkage through Parties' Digital Presence based on Bourdieu’s Theory of Capital

Research on political parties concluded that parties struggle to integrate citizens and party members (e.g. Michels 1911; Mair 1994; Katz and Mair 1995; Ignazi 2014). Reasons for this “linkage failure” (Lawson 1988) were discussed for the conditions of the offline sphere. Due to the technical advancements and the proliferation of internet access, political parties have an array of new possibilities to get people engaged (again). According to the dialogue-based model of communication (Kent/Taylor/White 2003), organizations can build a sustainable relationship with their supporters respecting three different aspects in their digital presence: (a) contact information and encouraging communication, (b) up-to-date information and, (c) possibilities for participation. A different branch of research assumes the proliferation of news and information is a sustainable way to create linkage (e.g. Waters/Jamal 2011). These branches can be connected. This contribution links existing research with Bourdieu’s theory of capital and evaluates different approaches by political parties. So far, we see many case studies for different parties in different countries and different levels. However, only a few comparative studies exist (e.g. Lilleker and Jackson 2011; Koc-Michalska et al. 2016). A comparative perspective allows the examination of the following research questions: How do political parties shape their digital presence? Are there differences in political parties’ strategic use of the internet? Are there similarities among parties of the same ideological family? Are there differences between smaller and larger parties? Is there a difference between campaign season and parliamentary routine? The case design is explorative and covers political parties in four European countries (Germany, France, UK, Estonia). This contribution is based on a methodological mix of open-source analysis, screen-capturing and quantitative analysis of Twitter data. First results indicate systematic differences in strategies when it comes to mobilization and online self-portraits of political parties.