Getting closer: The effects of personalized and interactive online political communication

TLDR

Political parties increasingly use the Internet for interactive, personalized communication, yet evidence that this boosts citizen engagement remains scarce. The study examines whether personalized and interactive online communication increases citizens’ political involvement. The authors conduct a scenario experiment and a laboratory experiment using real‑world websites to test this. Both studies demonstrate that highly interactive and personalized online communication raises political involvement, and personalization strengthens the effect of interactivity.

Abstract

Political parties and politicians increasingly use the possibilities of the Internet to communicate interactively with citizens and vice versa. The Internet also offers opportunities for individual politicians to profile themselves. These developments are often said to bring politics closer to citizens, increasing their political engagement in politics. Empirical evidence for such claims is, however, scarce. In a scenario experiment and a laboratory experiment using real-world websites, the authors examine whether more personalized online communication (a focus on individual politicians) and the use of interactive features increase political involvement among citizens. The results from both studies demonstrate that both highly interactive and personalized online communication do increase citizens’ political involvement. Moreover, it was also found that political personalization positively moderates the effect of interactivity on political involvement, meaning that the effects of interactivity are even stronger in a personalized setting.