MKs Usage of Personal Internet Tools, 2009: On the Verge of a New Decade

Abstract

This paper examines internet use as a personal political device among Members of the Knesset (hereafter: MKs). We will first describe the social and political trends which promote Israeli and worldwide parliamentarians’ use of personal internet platforms as a communication medium. Description of these trends will be accompanied by examples from 17th-Knesset MKs’ websites. We will also review the changes which took place in MKs’ use of personal internet tools, in accordance with the identified developmental phases. Finally, we will discuss the distinction between Internet use as a means of political communication during campaigns and Internet use as a platform for interaction with the public while in office.

Keywords: e-Politics, Israel, online political activity, MKs, personal websites