Election Campaigning in the Era of Web 2.0 and Social Media

Political players have followed marketers in seeking to leverage the social capital provided by the recent popularity of Web 2.0 technologies and online social media. This paper examines the extent to which such online trends are impacting election campaigning. It assesses the impetus of Web 2.0 and the associated growth of social media, particularly in the Australian context. The paper analyses the emerging role of e-campaigning and highlights the niche it now occupies. Whilst broadcast television is still the dominant player, in Australia as in election campaigning elsewhere, there is empirical evidence that a viable campaign needs to integrate diverse communication media. The online world is increasingly a key component of such strategies.