E-electioneering 2007-2013: Trends in online political campaigns over three elections
Use of social media and interactive online content by politicians and political parties increased by 67 per cent in quantitative terms during the 2013 Australian federal election campaign compared with 2010 and was 243 per cent up on the 2007 federal election. But how are social media being used in political communication? In particular, are they being used interactively for two-way communication to foster conversations, dialogue, and engagement, which are widely-cited affordances of Web 2.0-based social media?
This report analyses qualitative as well as quantitative data from three election campaigns in Australia to provide deep insights into social media use and the operation of the democratic public sphere today.