Digitizing democracy: new communications technology and the 2004 federal election

Given the unstoppable juggernaut of information technology in all realms of our culture, a look at its impact on the socio-political sphere during election time was bound to be a rich exercise. Here in Australia, computer mediated information produced an active public sphere, drove political party websites, generated new ways of learning about constituents, enabled online polling, changed the way television and radio produced their programs and changed campaign tactics. This article looks at some of these processes in detail. With all this information and engagement, was democracy the winner?