Convergence or intermediality? Finnish political communication in the New Media Age

Abstract

The article considers political communication in the age of digital media and the internet by testing how the idea of convergence culture has emerged in Finnish political campaigning. The concept of convergence is compared here with the concept of intermediality. Instead of ‘melting into each other’, intermediality asserts that political communication takes place by increasing the number of media channels and communication technologies, which are inherently linked to each other, but which also have histories and traditions of their own – traditions that cannot be reduced to a single concept of convergence. Empirical analysis of Finnish political campaigns in 2006–2008 shows that traditions and institutions in local political cultures and media systems prevent the diffusion of convergence culture into political communication. This, in turn, deepens a divide between voter and media generations. Authoritative political performances of both politicians and journalists do not encourage the participatory practices of convergence culture.