Which party has the internet helped the most?

[mirror]

Some people, though not everyone, think that our mainstrem press is biased in favour of, or against, one political party or anorther.

Which political partiy, or parties in Canada nationally, do you think has benefitted most from the impact of the internet, which allows us to easily and frequently read both the mainstream and alternate press, and websites, as well as using discussion boards?

Why?

[Canuck E Stan]

Although it might appear to benefit someone,I think there are too many sites on the net and this will make it hard for any one party to be a choice "of the Net". I think People have a tendacy to go to sites that they feel comfortable in and thus they stick with sites that think like they do.

[Yaro]

I think it’s probably helped the conservatives in the same way that talk radio has, conservatives tend to be a little louder and more aggressive so they tend to get there message across a little more on open mediums like the internet.

[mirror]

I agree with you that initially when the internet first came out it benefitted the Conservatives the most, however I think now it has benefitted the New Democrats the most, as they feel the least represented in the mainstream press, and the internet allows them to readily access and distribute social democratic material.

[plusgood]

I think you could aruge that the internet has assisted alternative or less-mainstream views, but whether that translate into concrete help for any of the mainstream political parties is difficult to judge. Through the internet we now have access to a wide variety of views and new sources for information that we never had before. So in this regard I think it is possible to argue that minority voices within individual parties can be strengthened and less mainstream views can be heard. So, maybe the social conservative agenda and NDP have gained some stronger publicity within the Canadian political framework. It's difficult to judge because perhaps those mainstream voices are also capitilizing off the internet in similar fashions.

In general it has helped all the parties. They all can use the internet to spread their message and fundraise. There's also online issue-petitions and campaigns that regular people now have easier access to. With this in mind it's possible to view the internet as an key component to re-invigorating our political process.