Electoral campaigning in the Italian 2013 elections: innovation and tradition

Abstract

The Italian electoral campaign in the 2013 general elections is marked by an incomplete evolution of Italian political communication towards a professionalized market-oriented model. In these elections an increased use of the internet and the social media coexisted with a more traditional understanding of political communication. The electoral success of the Movimento Cinque Stelle led by Beppe Grillo shows that the hybridization of traditional and post-modern communication can be effective in the exploitation of anti-political and antiparty feelings, particularly widespread among the Italian electorate in the 2013 elections. However, just where this development is headed is still a moot question and leaves the field for further investigation open.