More from the conference on the social web and networked political protests.
Ralf Lindner gave an interesting presentation on “Models of Democracy and Internet-based Communication: How Ideological Orientations Shape Online-Strategies of Parties and Interest Groups.” Ralf builds on previous qualitative empirical analysis of internet-based communication strategies of eight Canadian intermediary organizations. His research demonstrates that online-communication patterns in terms of campaign styles largely correlate with the political actors’ basic ideological orientations, operationalised by the fundamental democratic visions championed by these organisations.
In other words, ideological orientations are an important factor in the processes of adopting communication technologies for the purposes of political communication. While Ralf’s case study focuses on Canada, I think the recent US presidential elections demonstrated the same tendencies.
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