Twitter use during the 2010 Swedish election – and beyond

• Since its launch in 2006, Twitter use has evolved and is increasingly used in a variety of contexts. One such context is online politics or e-democracy. Although many of the initial hopes for e-democracy appear to have gone largely unfulfilled, the successful employment of the Internet during the 2008 US presidential campaign has again raised voices claiming that the Internet, and particularly social media applications like Twitter, provides interesting opportunities for online campaigning and deliberation. My presentation will focus on an ongoing comparative study involving researchers in the Scandinavian countries, dealing with how political use of Twitter is fashioned in the three countries of Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Specifically, I will present findings pertaining to Twitter use during the 2010 Swedish election. I would also like to discuss some of the ethical challenges that we have come across during this work.  

Nyckelord

twitter use

online politics

e-democracy

online campaigning

swedish election 2010

Publikations- och innehållstyp

vet (ämneskategori)

kon (ämneskategori)