Global Patterns of Virtual Mudslinging? The Use of Attacks on German Party Websites in State, National and European Parliamentary Elections

Abstract

Is negative campaigning on the internet an American phenomenon or an international trend? To explore this question, this article compares the use of attacks on German party websites in two state elections, one federal election and one election to the European parliament with recent American evidence. The results show that virtual mudslinging has affected German e-campaigns at all levels of the political system, with patterns similar to those found in the United States. This includes the amount and frequency of the attacks as well as their differential usage by incumbents and challengers, their respective sources, and the subject dimensions of the assaults. Only with regard to the thematic context and the targets of the attacks did German and American e-campaigns vary in their style of online negativism. These findings support the notion of a global standardisation effect in web campaign practices brought about by the professionalisation process in politics.