Digital Media in the 2008 Canadian Election

This article examines the use and impact of digital media in the 2008 Canadian federal election. It examines the extent to which different digital media were employed by candidates and parties. The research informs a wider debate between competing schools of thought on the democratizing potential of the Internet. The article demonstrates a mixed role of digital media in the election. Structural, human, and financial resources can be identified as advantaging established parties access to both conventional and online media. The pattern of adoption of different forms of digital media is also significantly affected by factors internal to professional politics.