Assessing Permanent Campaigning in the Online Sphere: A Topic Modelling Approach

• In Event: New Methods and Frameworks to Study Digital Politics

Abstract

The means of communication and campaigning have shifted significantly from traditional media to social network sites in recent years. However, the role of online political advertising has been meagrely studied in the permanent campaign research. While the criteria of permanent campaigning have been established for traditional political campaign strategies, we lack understanding of the criteria that are being used in the online spheres. This is the first study that tries to assess the permanent campaign online from the angle of analysing online political advertising activities in the UK. Using data from Facebook political advertising archives between May 2018 and July 2021, we seek to investigate whether the notion of ‘permanent campaigning’ applies to the online sphere by analysing political advertising activities of the UK political parties and actors on Facebook. We employ a topic modelling approach to explore the extent to that political parties and actors make use of Facebook advertising during non-election periods, in comparison with election periods. By identifying the variances in the type, theme, and goal of political adverts placed in and outside of election periods, we aim to identify different campaign motivations (if any) and answer whether the permanent campaign exists on the platform of Facebook advertising. This paper offers new insights and empirical evidence into identifying and measuring the way permanent campaigning is practiced and its subsequent implications for democracy.

Authors

• Junyan Zhu, University of Sheffield

• Kate Dommett, University of Sheffield