Is the voter only a tweet away? Micro blogging during the 2009 European Parliament election campaign in the Netherlands

Authors

  • Maurice Vergeer Radboud University Nijmegen
  • Liesbeth Hermans
  • Steven Sams

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3540

Keywords:

Twitter, API, micro-blogging, social networking, political campaigning

Abstract

This study explores the use of Twitter by candidates, in particular their networking and micro-blogging activities in the election campaign for the European Parliament elections of 2009 in the Netherlands. The main focus is on identifying what political aspects (e.g. party characteristics and candidate characteristics) influences their use of Twitter as a campaign tool. Furthermore, we explore the effectiveness of candidates' activities on Twitter in gaining votes.

Author Biographies

Maurice Vergeer, Radboud University Nijmegen

Maurice Vergeer is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication at the Radboud University Nijmegen and visiting professor of the WCU Webometrics Institute at Yeungnam University, South Korea. His research interests focus on online communication and networks and online participation, in particular in political communication and social capital theory.

Liesbeth Hermans

Liesbeth Hermans is Associate Professor at the Department of Communication at the Radboud University in Nijmegen. Her field of research is journalism studies and political communication. Her interests in journalism include the influence of digitalization on the news process, role perceptions of journalists, changing journalistic routines and conditions because of new technology, and the changing relation with the audience.

Steven Sams

Steven Sams is a doctoral candidate at the School of Information Systems, Computing, and Mathematics at Brunel University and a research fellow of WCU Webometrics Institute at Yeungnam University. Currently he focuses on data collection strategies for the analysis of political communication in South Korea.

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Published

2011-07-13

How to Cite

Vergeer, M., Hermans, L., & Sams, S. (2011). Is the voter only a tweet away? Micro blogging during the 2009 European Parliament election campaign in the Netherlands. First Monday, 16(8). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v16i8.3540

Issue

Volume 16, Number 8 - 1 August 2011

Section

Articles

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