Dommett, Katharine and Power, Sam (2019) The political economy of Facebook advertising: election spending, regulation and targeting online. Political Quarterly, 90 (2). pp. 257-265. ISSN 0032-3179

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Abstract

Political advertising on Facebook is the latest in a long line of developments in campaign practice, and is a tool that has been mobilised extensively in elections around the world. In this article, we explore what we know about Facebook advertising at elections and ask what existing data from the UK Electoral Commission can reveal about current usage. Highlighting the principles behind Facebook advertising, we argue that existing metrics offer little insight into current campaign trends—posing analytical, methodological and normative challenges for academics and electoral regulators alike. Moreover, we argue that these challenges strike at the heart of debates about democratic responsibility and the degree to which governments should cede responsibility to commercial actors who may have differing understandings of fundamental democratic norms.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Facebook, Election spending, Targeting, Regulation, Political financing
Schools and Departments:	School of Law, Politics and Sociology > Politics
SWORD Depositor:	Mx Elements Account
Depositing User:	Mx Elements Account
Date Deposited:	04 Feb 2021 10:14
Last Modified:	04 Feb 2021 10:15
URI:	http://sro.sussex.ac.uk/id/eprint/96921

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