Internet Politics in France

Internet and new digital technologies played remarkable, novel roles in the 2007 French presidential campaign. They produced unexpected shifts in daily operations of parties, which had to reverse their tactics as a result of information flows and the need to respond to revelations from unauthorized videos broadcast on the Web. There were forums and interactive debates online (Ségolène Royal’s team was the innovator in these), and campaigners were mobilized via instant messaging. In short, political communication departed from beyond the traditional paths of a party apparatus, public relations teams, and mainstream journalism. Activists online helped to create the content of political debates, and this, in turn, fed into the tradition...