This is a continuation of Election 2.0.
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President-Elect Barack Obama in particular utilized the Internet’s strengths – its global audience, its 24/7 immediacy, its ability to spread information virally – to help further his campaign.
“Obama capitalized on connecting to younger voters by using technology. McCain failed miserably at using technological tools,” said S.C. political blogger Jennifer Read.
“Obama’s campaign used the Internet to level the playing field. They registered new voters, recruited volunteers and used the Internet to bring people to the campaign who had never been involved before,” said John O’Connor, a political reporter for The State newspaper.
He added, “Obama made the best use of Facebook and other networking sites to keep in touch with die-hards and newcomers. Then they used that information, and e-mails, to constantly tap those people for small campaign donations.”
Even after his successful campaign, Obama continues to use the Internet as an outreach tool for citizen involvement. His transition team website www.change.gov, gives readers a constant feed of news and addresses agenda points to be tackled after his inauguration.
Tammy Stokes, S.C. political blogger, is thrilled by the site. “It’s fantastic. He immediately reached out to educate voters about his plans. It offers transparency and planning that we’ve not seen in a while. I think citizens will love that.”
But blogger Earl Capps sees no difference between it and any other transition site. “It’s not intended for long-term use, only to separate the incoming administration from the current one. Separating the transition team from the current administration is pretty standard practice.”
Obama has embraced the Internet full-force. The president-elect plans to release videos on YouTube to address the nation. These clips harken back to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s fireside chats. As The Washington Post’s The Clickocracy blog put it, “The White House has gone YouTube.”
Brooks is an English major and art minor at Columbia College. Graphic design and linguistics are two of her passions.
