From the social media-based 2008 Obama election campaign to the civic protest and political
revolutions of the 2011 Arab Spring the past few years have been marked by a widespread and
complex shift in the political landscape as the rise of participatory platforms - such as
YouTube Twitter Facebook and blogs - have multiplied the venues for political communication
and activism. This book explores the emergence of a permanent campaign - the need for constant
readiness - on networked communication platforms focusing on political moments crises and
elections in Canada the U.S.A. and Australia. The book chapters investigate the proliferation
of new political actors and communicators: political bloggers advocacy groups diverse publics
and political party staff as they engage in political maneuvers across participatory platforms.
With in-depth analyses of some of the most well-known participatory media today this book
offers a critical assessment of the constant efforts at managing the plurality of voices that
characterize contemporary politics.
