Digital politics in Western democracies : a comparative study
"Cristian Vaccari presents an analysis of seven advanced Western democracies' digital politics-US, UK, Australia, Germany, Italy, Spain, and France-from 2006 to 2010. Examining the presentation and consumption of website politics, his study not only refutes claims that the web creates homogenized American-style politics and political interaction but also empirically reveals how a nation's unique constraints and opportunities create unique digital responses. This first large scale, comparative treatment of both the supply and demand sides of digital politics among different national political actors is divided into four parts: research methodology and theoretical challenges; how parties and candidates structure their websites (supply); how citizens use websites to access campaign information (demand); and then ties the research results back into his theoretical framework. Because a key aspect of any political system is how political actors communicate, this book will be invaluable for scholars, students, and practitioners interested in political communication, party competition, party organization, political participation, and the study of contemporary media landscapes writ large"-- Provided by publisher
Print Book, English, 2013
John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 2013
xvi, 283 p. ; gráf. 23 cm. :
9781421411170, 9781421411187, 1421411172, 1421411180
1026035811
PrefaceAcknowledgments1. IntroductionPart I: Theoretical Issues and Research Questions2. Understanding Digital Politics in Western Democracies3. Parties and the Internet4. Citizens and the InternetPart II: Parties and Digital Politics5. Structure and Features of Political Websites6. Disparities in Political Websites7. Party Characteristics and Their Online Presence8. What Drives the Online Presence of Parties and Candidates?Part III: Citizens and Digital Politics9. Online Political Information in Seven Countries10. Socioeconomic Inequalities and Online Political Information11. Political Attitudes and Online Information12. Political Engagement, Mass Media Use, andOnline Information13. Correlates of Online Political Information inSeven Democracies14. ConclusionAppendixNotesReferencesIndex