The Cyber Party

This article explores the pressures and possibilities for party development in the age of widespread use of the Internet. It identifies internet-fuelled trends in political activity which affect party organisational development and proposes the ‘cyber’ party as a new ‘ideal type’ of political party. Cyber parties are organisations rather than institutions, to which voters with multiple preferences offer support according to context. They are characterised by technologically-aided relationships between party and voters rather than formal membership. The possibilities for cyber parties are illustrated with evidence from Britain but examples from other countries with longer experience of widespread Internet penetration provide pointers to the future. Finally, the article considers some of the possible threats posed by the emergence of the cyber party. It concludes that a cyber party that develops a stronger relationship with its voters (rather than mourning the ‘golden age’ of the mass membership party), could be a positive development in democratic terms. Parties which do not respond to competitive pressures to increase their nodality through innovative use of available technologies may be more likely to face decline.

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