ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a methodological profile for political communication research. Methodological individualism means that social phenomena of any kind are explained by referring back to individual actions. The sociological model offers a useful perspective for political communication research. The course of sociological explanation has its foundation link between the macro, or structural, or collective level and the micro, or actor, or individual level. The fundamental methodological principles: causal explanation through micro-macro links, intersubjective validity through monitoring by the scientific community and incompleteness of the research process through the interdependence of theory and empirical research. Research in political communication is changing quickly as the Internet is changing. It should continue to be oriented on causality, intersubjectivity, and according to the precept of incompleteness. The main conclusion reached by weighing the opportunities and threats, the online world is built on science and technology, more so than any other media world in the past.
