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Weblog Campaigning in the German Bundestag Election 2005

Institute of Technology and Society, Hamburg University of Technology, steffen.albrecht{at}tu-harburg.de

Maren Lübcke

Institute of Technology and Society, Hamburg University of Technology, maren.luebcke{at}tu-harburg.de

Rasco Hartig-Perschke

Institute of Technology and Society, Hamburg University of Technology, perschke{at}tu-harburg.de

Election campaigns are catalysts for new forms of political communication. They are a field of experimentation for new techniques and technologies to reach target groups and influence voters. This article explores how weblogs were used in the 2005 Bundestag election campaign in Germany, examining their effect on the mediatized political field. It is based on an empirical analysis of 317 campaign weblogs. Building on mediatization theory and research on campaign weblogs in other countries, weblog usage is examined along the dimensions of activity, interactivity, and connectedness. The results of the study indicate that weblog communication largely follows the dominant logic of mass media. But weblogs also offer forms of communication that allow political actors to bypass established media practices. Although the results are limited by the fact that the political blogosphere in Germany is still under construction, they reveal the potential of weblogs to enrich campaigns.

Key Words: Weblogs • campaign • political communication • election • Germany • network analysis

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Social Science Computer Review, Vol. 25, No. 4, 504-520 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0894439307305628


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Albrecht, S. Articles by Hartig-Perschke, R. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?