Elections 2.0: Comparing E-Campaigns in France, Germany, Great Britain and the United States

Past analyses of the role of the Internet in politics have described it as an underused tool in election campaigns (de Landtsheer et al., 2005; Kluver et al., 2007; Lusoli, 2005). Most studies find that party and candidate websites are created mainly to provide a space for offline material to be posted for viewing in a non-mediated environment (Morris, 1999). In contrast, elements which allow interaction are usually eschewed as these are said to detract from the core functions of campaigning and lead to a loss of message control (Stromer-Galley, 2000). Scholars have therefore come to postulate a normalisation of cyberspace (Resnick, 1998; Margolis & Resnick, 2000). Broadly, this includes two interlinked conclusions. Firstly, the

normalisation of power relations

which follows from observations that those parties with the greatest amount of resources have the most sophisticated web presences and lead innovations (Gibson et al., 2003). And secondly, there is the

normalisation of political communication

as offline traditions of campaigning override any Internet-specific style of electioneering that may encourage dialogue between candidates or parties and those whose votes they seek (for an overview see Schweitzer, 2008).