This book investigates how political parties from 12 European countries used Facebook to inform, interact with and mobilise voters at the 2019 European Parliament election. Following a joint theoretical framework and method, the results of a content analysis of more than 14,000 Facebook posts are presented. Country specific chapters are followed by analyses of European parties Facebook campaigning, the spread of populism and the use of Facebook ads by the parties. The final chapter compares all countries showing that campaigns are more strongly shaped by the national than by the European political context. Facebook is used for campaigning as usual; parties inform and persuade but neglect the platforms mobilisation and particularly interactive affordances.

The 2019 European Electoral Campaign: In the Time of Populism and Social Media examines political advertising during the 2019 elections to the European Parliament, which has become the largest supranational campaign of its kind in the world. Based on a research project funded by the European Parliament, and an archive of more than 11,000 campaign items, the book draws on results from a major content analysis covering every one of the 28 member states involved. The 2019 European Electoral Campaign delivers a unique comparative assessment on the state of political communication within a European Union convulsed by momentous change. This book will be of interest to scholars, researchers and students of political communication, media, political science, history, European (Union) studies as well as a wider readership including politicians, political strategists, and journalists.

The Routledge Handbook of Political Campaigning provides an essential, global, and timely overview of current realities, as well as anticipating the trajectory and evolution of campaigning in the coming years. Offering a comprehensive analysis, the handbook is structured into seven thematic sections, including the campaign environment; rhetoric and persuasion; campaign strategies; campaign tactics and platform affordances; news and journalism; citizens and voters; and civil society. The chapters within each section reflect on the latest societal, technological, and cultural developments and their impact on campaigning, on democratic culture within societies, and on the roles that campaigns might play in both facilitating and impeding political engagement. Key trends and innovations are examined alongside case studies and examples from a range of nations and political contexts. Issues around trust and representation are further reflected in a focus on the wider campaigning environment and the rise in importance of grassroots and pressure groups, social movements, and movements that coalesce within digital environments. The Routledge Handbook of Political Campaigning is an essential resource for scholars, students, and practitioners in political communication, media and communication, elections and voting behavior, digital media, journalism, social movements, strategic communication, social media, and more broadly to democracy, sociology, and public policy.

The Elgar Encyclopedia of Technology and Politics is a landmark resource that offers a comprehensive overview of the ways in which technological development is reshaping politics. Providing an unparalleled starting point for research, it addresses all the major contemporary aspects of the field, comprising entries written by over 90 scholars from 33 different countries on 5 continents.

The media play active roles in politics with different media channels serving as bridges that link the politicians and citizens together. It is clear that what the media emphasize as important may be seen as such by the public. Hence, it is likely that the media may impact voter decisions during electoral processes and even during the elections. As such, it is imperative that research is collected on the impact of the media and the role it plays in strengthening party loyalty, improving public knowledge on elections, and swaying apathetic citizens to become involved in the electoral process. Global Perspectives on the Impact of Mass Media on Electoral Processes provides relevant theoretical frameworks and research findings that evidence the impact of the media in specific elections in different countries around the world. The book supports professionals who want to improve their understanding of the strategic roles that the media play in electoral politics as well as political candidates who may want to know if their heavy expenditures in paying the media to carry their political messages bring in returns on their investment. Covering topics that include social media, political cartoons, and media influence, this book seeks to provide fresh insights on the media’s impact on elections whether at the national, regional, or local levels. It is ideal for politicians, campaign managers, media analysts, government officials, professionals, researchers, students, academicians, and individuals involved in electoral management, political parties, advertising agencies, and marketing companies.

New Zealand was one of a handful of countries that held a national election in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Its policy response stood out as remarkably successful. Indeed, several years on from the onset of the crisis, in 2023 New Zealand still retained a record of no excess deaths. While New Zealanders were voting on October 17, 2020, their country had only recorded 25 confirmed deaths out of a population of five million. Then, support for the government’s crisis management was at its height. Labour, the leading party in the incumbent coalition government, secured a historic election victory. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern had taken up the metaphor of the New Zealand people as ‘a team of five million’ facing the Covid-19 threat together. This book seeks to explain the success of the government’s strategy through an analysis of the election campaign and outcome. The authors also address the limits of this approach and the extent to which some voters felt alienated rather than connected with the ‘team’. The election outcome was a big short-term swing of the electoral pendulum. It did not generate a reset of the party system. Three years on, as the 2023 election loomed into sight, the party system looked much as it did prior to the pandemic, and Labour’s success in 2020 was about to be dramatically reversed.

Political communication has fundamentally transformed as digital technologies have become increasingly important in everyday life. Technology platforms have become powerful political instruments for world leaders, campaigns, social movements, journalists, and non-governmental organizations. Moreover, they are essential to how people communicate about politics, encounter and share political information, and take action to pursue their political goals. This is the first textbook to center digital platforms in understanding political communication. With global examples beyond the context of Western democracies, the text reveals how digital technologies such as social media and search engines are increasingly shaping political communication in countries around the world. It shows how the core processes of political communication are being reshaped by platforms, from how elections are contested to how issues make it onto policymaking agendas. Topics covered include public opinion, journalism, strategic communication, political parties, social movements, governance, disinformation, propaganda, populism, race, ethnicity, and democratic backsliding. Full of lively examples and pedagogical features, Platforms, Power, and Politics offers an exciting and innovative new approach to political communication. It is essential reading for students of political communication and an important resource for scholars, journalists, and policymakers.

This book covers various aspects of political communication in dissonant public spheres and their impact on democratic processes. It expands research on campaigning beyond assumptions of well-functioning political systems, to better understand how the erosion of institutional legitimacy and trust affects communication processes. The volume approaches the concept of dissonant public spheres from four divergent perspectives: as instrumental threats to democracy, as communication performed by political actors, forms of engagement by citizens, and the nature of political conflicts. New perspectives are developed on how political candidates, organizations, and parties optimize their behaviour within dissonant political environments. These disrupted online communication environments reshape public spheres and change citizen engagement in ways that amplify political conflicts and crises. Chapters also examine the role of data-driven campaigning and address how limited access to platform data affects our understanding of dissonant public spheres. A significant new contribution to the field of political communication, this volume will be a key resource for scholars and researchers of communication studies, politics, media studies and sociology. The chapters in this book were originally published in Political Communication.

The advent of social media has had varying effects across fields, industries, and governments. As more individuals rely on this technology, its uses continue to develop and expand. Social media has forever changed the way in which politics are discussed, social movements are formed, and how governments interact with the public. To fully understand the future of social media, further study is required. The Research Anthology on Social Media's Influence on Government, Politics, and Social Movements investigates how social media is used within governments as well as the history behind the technology. The book also examines best practices, tactics, and challenges associated with utilizing social media platforms for social movements. Covering key topics such as communication, interactive technology, and social change, this major reference work is ideal for government officials, industry professionals, policymakers, administrators, business owners, managers, researchers, academicians, scholars, practitioners, instructors, and students.