Battling for Votes: The Ascent of the Permanent Campaign in Canada

Abstract

This paper describes a recent shift being seen in Canadian politics. By studying the concept of the permanent campaign, it can be seen that voters are involved in politics in a new way. The permanent campaign is characterized by how it increasingly uses recent and new technologies in a sophisticated manner. This includes what is known as Web 2.0, which is seen with the broader widespread usage of the internet as well as social media platforms. Web 2.0 makes practices of data collecting possible, such as microtargeting and narrowcasting. The permanent campaign is also evident in the changing landscape of news media. These various techniques of using technology in Canadian politics shapes the way that the electorate receives messages. There are differing opinions as to whether this shift is positive or negative for Canadian politics. Journalists tend to view the permanent campaign as harmful while some authors view things like social media as more participatory.