Political Organizations and their Online Communication

This paper raises the question of the possible impact of online communication on political organizations in a very fundamental way. It follows the assumption that it is necessary to first clarify the relationship between political organizations and their communication before researching the possible impacts of online communication. Therefore, this paper discusses decisions, communication, and intermediation as the essence of any political organization. It presents a heuristic framework that differentiates the interrelation of organizations and communication in five perspectives: organizations as constituted by communication, as communicators, as structures or spheres wherein communication takes place, as topics of communication, and as indicators of change in communication. Each perspective is rooted in organizational sociology and may be applied to questions of political organizations and their online communication. Therefore, the distinction of these perspectives enriches the debate and serves as a useful tool to sort the arguments and research questions.