How Have Irish Parliamentarians Adapted to the Age of Web 2.0?

Abstract

This article explores the engagement of members of the Irish lower parliamentary chamber (TDs) with Web 2.0 technologies. While conducting the website-feature analysis, the authors looked at three dimensions of each TD's website: information content, interaction tools and politicians' activities on the web. They found that Irish parliamentarians' usage of the Internet is still largely based on the paradigm of Web 1.0. Perhaps more accurately, Irish politicians' Internet usage is in the mode of Web 1.5, in which some interactive and participatory space is generated with the idea that the cyberspace should encourage citizen participation. As conventional variables such as party affiliation and geographic variation still have an influence on TDs' website performance, one can conclude that information and communication technologies do not really change the way Irish politics are played. The Irish experience is in line with various other studies, such as in Italy and Finland.