9. The Digital Campaign

The 2024 digital campaign was a central element of the general election, with parties recognizing the importance of digital presence and investing heavily in their online strategies. Labour stood out as the party with the greatest capacity to invest in digital, maintaining an active presence on both new and established platforms and training activists to develop digital skills. The Conservatives, while also investing in digital, could not match their rivals in terms of activity, audience, and spending. Smaller parties, such as Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats, had success with their organic content but lacked the resources to keep up with the 'big two' online. The digital campaign was dominated by routine and well-established online practices, with parties interweaving digital into their wider campaign strategies to garner attention and engagement from often uninterested citizens. The text also highlights the use of digital tools and platforms to prompt supporters to share content and spread political messages, facilitating both top-down and horizontal campaigning. Despite speculation about more sophisticated and AI-informed campaigning, the 2024 digital campaign was, in many ways, simple and routine.