When the nerds go marching in : how digital technology moved from the margins to the mainstream of political campaigns /

"This book charts the increasing role and centrality of the internet within election campaigns across established democracies, following its electoral debut in the mid-1990s. It does so by presenting a four-phase model of digital campaigns that charts the movement of the technology from the mar...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Gibson, Rachel, 1968- (Author)
Published: Oxford University Press,
Publisher Address: New York, NY :
Publication Dates: [2020]
Literature type: Book
Language: English
Series: Oxford studies in digital politics
Subjects:
Summary: "This book charts the increasing role and centrality of the internet within election campaigns across established democracies, following its electoral debut in the mid-1990s. It does so by presenting a four-phase model of digital campaigns that charts the movement of the technology from the margins to the mainstream of party operations. Historically it reveals how the new medium shifted from being a mere novelty item to a basic necessity for any candidate or party now seriously contemplating a run for political office. It does so by combining a systematic review of the extant literature with a range of secondary and original datasets to present a twenty-year overview of the evolution of internet-based electioneering. Through extensive analysis of both large N and also more focused case studies of the UK, the U.S. France and Australia, it reveals how the four phases developed in different contexts and highlight some of the reasons for the varying evolutionary patterns that are observed. While it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when the first 'cyberspace' campaign was officially launched, the general consensus is that the breakthrough moment, at least in terms of public awareness, came during the 1992 U.S. election cycle (Bimber and Davis, 2003; Davis and Owen, 2008; Janda 2015). At the Presidential level it was Democrat nominee Bill Clinton who laid claim to this virtual terra nova after his staff uploaded a series of basic text files with biographical information for voters to browse. Since that time, use of the internet in elections has expanded dramatically in the U.S. and elsewhere"--
Carrier Form: viii, 312 pages : illustrations, forms ; 24 cm.
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 285-301) and index.
ISBN: 9780195397796 (paperback) :
0195397797 (paperback)
Index Number: JF2112
CLC: D521-39
Call Number: D521-39/G449