Parties, Candidates and Citizens On-Line - Åbo Akademi

et al. 2003b, 86-90; Löfgren 2001, 23-30). Hence, different parties would stress different
dimensions of communication on their website depending on their general goals (cf.
Norris 2003). However, Römmele remarks that her study;
“…has sought to present a theoretical exposition of the ways in which
parties can be expected to use the new communication tools […] Empirical
studies are obviously needed to establish just how far party implementation
of these tools follows the anticipated path”. (Römmele 2003, 15)
Consequently, this study seeks to further explore the plausibility of this actorconstructivist
view on party internet activity. The article focuses on Finnish parties’
opinions concerning the importance and use of their websites and also on the actual
contents of these websites. The Finnish multiparty context offers much variation in
numerous party-specific characteristics (Djupsund 1990, 20; Sundberg 1996, 147-152).
This provides an opportunity to take several theoretically important aspects, besides party
goals, into account in exploring the actor-constructivist view. Finland also has a high level
of internet penetration and is among the world leading countries in terms of internet
usage by political actors (Gibson & Römmele 2005, 10).
The aim of the study is to relate both the Finnish parties’ ‘inside view’ and website
output to the parties’ character in terms of several theoretically relevant aspects. The
article seeks to provide an initial empirical test of the theoretical view proposed by
Römmele (2003). Are the Finnish parties’ opinions concerning the importance and use of
their websites, or the contents of their websites traceable to certain aspects of their
character?
Theoretical backdrop
In this section, a theoretical backdrop is developed for the study. Drawing on the general
literature on circumstances relevant to party conduct (e.g. Harmel & Janda 1994; Katz &
Mair 1995; Maarek 1995; Sjöblom 1968; Strom 1990), four aspects relevant to party
internet conduct, i.e. party goals, party organization, party size and resources and party
voters and supporters, will be discussed and related to party websites.
Party goals
Political parties operate in three different arenas according to Sjöblom (1968); the internal
arena, the electoral arena and the parliamentary arena. Political parties emphasize different
goals in each of these arenas. Four different goals for party activity can be identified in the
literature (e.g. Harmel & Janda 1994; Katz & Mair 1995; Strom 1990); vote maximization,
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