E-electioneering 2007: Use of New Media in the 2007 Australian Federal Election

Increasing use of new citizen and social media was reported during the 2000 US Presidential election (Bentivegna, 2002) and the 2004 US Presidential election was cited as “a turning point for political communication via the Internet” (Xenos and Moy, 2007).

However, many of the new media currently in use were ‘invented’ or began to achieve widespread use post-2004. With the development of Web 2.0 applications and uses of the Internet such such as YouTube, MySpace, Facebook and blogs, rapidly expanding access to broadband, declining cost of personal computers and Internet connection, development of intelligent search engines which have replaced ‘surfing’ and make finding information on the Internet faster and easier, and possibly increasing user familiarisation with Internet media, the extent and implications of new media use need ongoing critical review.

The 2007 Australian Federal Election campaign officially conducted from 15 October to 24 November 2007, but also unofficially in progress for several months prior, provided an opportunity to conduct research to update data on use of new media in political electioneering and explore implications for politics, the media and society. This study reports empirical data from the 2007 Australian Federal election and analyses their implications in relation to the public sphere, participatory democracy and social capital.

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.