Online Campaigning in France, 2007–2012: Political Actors and Citizens in the Aftermath of the Web.2.0 Evolution

Abstract : This paper examines political elites and citizens use of the web during the 2007 and 2012 French presidential campaign particularly with the aim of testing the normalization hypothesis at two levels of analysis – supply and demand. It is based on a quantitative content analysis of the candidates' websites and two surveys of French Internet users. The results present a challenge to the normalization thesis at the elite level in that despite a strong division in online performance between the major and other candidates in 2007, by 2012 the minor candidates outperformed their major counterparts Among voters the results also run somewhat contrary to normalization with a weakening in the significance of socio-demographic factors in determining traditional types of online engagement. In addition, the new social media sphere appears to encourage younger and less politicized citizens to participate. The importance of prior political attitudes such as interest and trust, however, remain strong.