How do new media affect election campaigns?
In his doctoral thesis, Rune Karlsen examines the effect of new media technology on Norwegian election campaigns. - The introduction of new media does not lead to convergence on the American campaign style. National elections still differ on contextual, historical and cultural terms, and these specificities shape the way in which new media is adopted, he says.
Monday June 23, Karlsen presented his doctoral dissertation “Election Campaigns and New Media Technology: A Closer Look at Campaigning in Norway.” The dissertation consists of four research questions each investigated in a separate paper.
Much of the previous research assumes that changes in information and communication technology (ICT) will lead to a modernization of election campaigns, resulting in a convergence on the American model. Contrary to this, Karlsen argues for a hybridization perspective; that campaign changes depend on contextual, historical and cultural constraints which vary between different systems.
In the first paper Karlsen examines the role of political consultants. - The point of departure is the assertion that in the digital age, political parties are unable to deliver the advanced technical services that modern campaigning demands, and that much of the campaign work is better handled by political consultants. It appears that Norwegian political parties attempt to integrate the necessary expertise in the party organization, while external professionals are primarily used for technical assistance, he says.
The second paper draws on interviews with party strategists to examine the parties’ Internet strategies in the 2005 parliamentary campaign. The article finds that parties consider the Internet a tool to win voters and activate activists, but remains uncertain of the effects. Karlsen finds support for the hybridization thesis, and argues that parties utilize the Internet in the extension of and in interplay with existing campaign practices.
In the third paper, Karlsen examines the role of the Internet from the point of view of voters. The Internet was found to be an important information source for a relatively small, but nonetheless substantial, part of the Norwegian electorate. Still, most other channels of communication were considered more important. Furthermore, online voters are not “converted” to a party, but are to a great extent available on the electoral market.
The fourth paper examines whether new media technologies lead to a fragmentation of political communication. The article finds that contrary to American campaign practice, Norwegian parties hardly use ICTs to multi-tailor campaign messages to different voter categories. - Voter-targeting has never been a substantial part of Norwegian election campaigns. This is a clear illustration of how differences in legislation and culture shape the way new media technologies are deployed, says Karlsen.