Digital third parties: Understanding the technological challenge to Canada's third party advertising regime

Some scholars proclaim that social media can make third party advertising regulations technologically obsolete. Since social media are essentially free, financial resources are no longer an obstacle to the participation in elections. These claims, however, lack empirical consideration. Using original data on third party election advertising from 2004 - 2015, this article argues that digital technologies have not made advertising regulations obsolete. Analysis shows that third parties are increasingly engaged in paid internet advertising. For many third parties, money matters in the digital age as it did in the broadcast age.