Characteristics of US Elections in the Digital Media Age

Abstract

This chapter provides a detailed discussion of the media-related characteristics of American election campaigns. Six major traits of elections in the digital era are identified: (1) technology-driven campaigning, (2) voter digital engagement, (3) hyper-personalized campaigning, (4) expanded campaign professionalization, (5) rampant polling and horserace media coverage, and (6) negativity and incivility. These developments are traced from the early days of the new media era to the present day.