Uses and effects of new media on political communication in the United States of America, Germany and Egypt

The book by Adel Saleh is a pioneer study of Internet campaigning. It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date overview of the distribution, usage, and effect of the Internet as a means of political communication. In the empirical part the author has developed a methodological model for the empirical and quantitative analysis of websites. He presents his own international comparative study investigating the Internet presence of parties and candidates in Germany, the USA, and Egypt in the recent or upcoming elections respectively. The author interprets the results and relevant studies with regard to the accomplishments of the Internet in democratization processes and political mobilization. When considering even the skeptical arguments and findings of the study, he sees good opportunities for the Internet to help overcome the „digital divide“ in political participation.