Title: Regional parties' web strategies in the age of virtual dialogue and closeness

Authors: Ainara Larrondo

Addresses: Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication, Department of Journalism, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Sarriena s/n 48940, Leioa (Biscay), Spain

Abstract: The website continues to be one of the main axes of the political parties' communicative dimension, even though recent research prioritises analysis of the political uses on social media, especially during electoral campaigns. Setting out from this context and from the premise that regional parties tend to show a greater proximity to the society in which they are inserted, the article develops a specific qualitative and descriptive methodology focusing on the website strategies of five organisations with representatives in the Parliament of the Basque Country, an autonomous community within the Spanish State, where there is a greater interest in political affairs. As the conclusions argue, the analysed websites evidence an evolved political marketing scenario challenged by the tensions between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 political communication styles, along with the lines of a true public and social dialogue, and the current needs of politics in the age of interactivity and social media.

Keywords: political communication; political marketing; websites; dialogue; Basque.

DOI: 10.1504/EG.2017.086687

Electronic Government, an International Journal, 2017 Vol.13 No.3, pp.183 - 202

Received: 29 Jul 2016
Accepted: 16 Mar 2017
Published online: 18 Sep 2017 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article