Internet Politics in Ontario concentrated in Cities: Major Differences in Web 2.0 use among Political Parties

The Code Politics research project at Ryerson University Infoscape Lab has found that urban candidates from all the major political parties in the recent Ontario election were much more likely than their rural counterparts to integrate web 2.0 platforms (campaign websites, Facebook) into their election campaigns.

Web 2.0 sites typically integrate a higher degree of interactivity, allow for forms of social networking, and encourage the uploading of user generated content.

The research report found that use of web 2.0 platforms for all the parties was moderate to high in 71% of the province’s urban ridings, while only 25% of rural ridings scored moderate to high use. The research measured web 2.0 use through an analysis of all the parties’ use of web campaign websites, Facebook profile pages, and Facebook group pages (typically a “I’m voting for candidate X in the Ontario provincial election”) -- arguably the three most prominent web 2.0 platforms used by political parties in elections.
[1]Please Follow this Link for a PDF of Web2.0 Activity Maps of Ontario (4 Megs)


Greg Elmer, Director of the Infoscape research lab noted that “The findings support our suspicions during the campaign that the internet was being used to appeal to students and younger voters in urban ridings.” Facebook was initially used as a social networking tool by university students.

While the research found no correlation between the use of such internet platforms during the campaign and incumbents or challengers, or winners and losers in ridings across the province, there were clear differences among how the major provincial parties used Facebook and web campaign websites.

Liberals scored the highest on web 2.0 use, overwhelming in cities
- In urban ridings 84% of Liberal candidates demonstrated moderate or high use of web 2.0 platforms. In rural ridings 62% of Liberal candidates had low (or no) use of web 2.0 platforms, 38% or rural candidates demonstrated moderate to high web 2.0 use.

Conservatives use of Web 2.0 split between rural and urban ridings
- In rural ridings 68% of PC candidates had low (or absolutely no) use of web 2.0 platforms, 32% of rural ridings had moderate or high web 2.0 use. Only 34% of PC candidates in urban ridings had low (or no) use of web 2.0 platforms, 66% of urban ridings had moderate or high web 2.0 use.

Rural NDP candidates overwhelmingly avoided Web 2.0 platforms, have lowest urban riding use
- In rural ridings 79% of NDP candidates had low (or no) use of web 2.0 platforms, only 21% of rural ridings had moderate or high use. 46% of NDP candidates in urban ridings had low (or no) web 2.0 use, whereas 54% of candidates demonstrated moderate to high use.