Open AccessNew Realities of Political Communications in Iceland and Norway
Author(s) -
Birgir Guðmundsson
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
nordicum-mediterraneum
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1670-6242
DOI - 10.33112/nm.9.1.1
Subject(s) - professionalization , political communication , politics , public sphere , communication studies , political science , digital media , fragmentation (computing) , political economy , information and communications technology , new media , public relations , sociology , media studies , law , computer science , operating system
Political communication in Iceland and in the Nordic Countries has undergone dramatic changes in the last decades. The political process has had to adjust to a new media landscape and to novel media technology at the same time as the media themselves are faced with transformed political realities. This paper reports a qualitative study on the way in which political parties in Iceland and Norway deal with a twofold change in political communication: on the one hand the change that has occurred with increasing commercialisation and professionalization of the traditional media; on the other, the change brought about by the digital revolution, with an explosion of media-outlets, communication possibilities and fragmentation of the public sphere. Five general dimensions are found to characterize the new realities of political communication in Norway and Iceland. These are: agenda setting; targeting of special groups; internal communication; professionalization; and a holistic communication approach.