// 02.20.2009 at 2:15 pm //

How digital media pushed Obama to the presidency

It’s a trend that’s making its rounds around the globe: politicians everywhere now embrace the use of popular social networks to form closer relationships with the public to win votes.

Many people have argued that today’s digital media system enabled the new American president, Barack Obama, to win the elections by putting across his message on the Internet.

However, it should be emphasised that the same digital media which politicians  use for their campaign can also be used by the electorate to understand what they are voting for (or against).

Barack Obama during his campaign in 2008 (CC by-nc-sa. photograph by Graciepoo)

Today’s media scene is no longer a top-down environment where voters can only watch television and listen to radio broadcasts of politicians, or read about what they say, without an alternative to respond.

The development in technology enables each of us to create our own content and tell a story. This is possible through blogging on the Internet, and the use of messages sent to mobile telephones.

Working together in communities across the globe using digital media system also helps create better chances for democracy, fairness, creative opportunity and social justice.

Online grassroots activism

What made Obama’s campaign unique was not just the use of such technology, but how online tools were used to coordinate offline action— the campaign showed how precise and persistent messages with calls for action (be it fund-raising or mobilising activities) got significant results.

With half of his $500-million campaign fund coming from donations of roughly $200 million through Internet fundraising, the Obama campaign harnessed electronic media to devastating effect and melded the idea of grassroots activism with instant feedback and visible networks.

Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, plus online services such as Skype, created more awareness about voting rules during elections. The networks also acted as a source of election-related news and gave more opportunities for young people to get involved.

Research  predicts more digital use

The vital role of the Internet and mobile technologies in the 2008 US elections has further endorsed interest and relevance of these technologies in other countries. Surprisingly, even developing countries now greatly rely on the Internet, mobile technology and social networks for election-related material. A recent report released by the International ABI research Company predicts that 82 million people will have subscribed to mobile social networks by 2013.

she remains connected even when she is eating (CC by-sa; photograph by Ed Yourdon)

To understand how much importance people put on being connected, just walk down any street in any major city and observe the people with their Blackberry units or any other mobile device connected to their ears.

With the use of digital media, politicians are challenged to be more open; transparency is difficult to fake in times such as these. Seth Reznik, manager of Blue State Digital (which built the online tools which powered President Obama’s campaign), warns politicians around the world, who want to jump on the yes-we-can wagon, to learn the technological lessons as well.

He says that it is not enough to e-mail or SMS voters without turning the enthusiasm of voter into activism, to make them feel that they are the engines of change.

Bridging the gap of biased media

Media practitioners around the world, and more so from developing countries,  have a duty to maintain a high degree of independence. But due to the lack of capacity to sustain themselves financially, some media institutions have been compromised by political strongmen and the business sector, among other groups, at the expense of having a free  society.

Independent media around the world have emerged as some of the powerful forces in the struggle to change closed, repressive regimes into open and democratic spheres.

Even with the existence of biased media in some countries, enthusiastic activists will comfortably resort to the use of the world wide web through blogging, using mobile networks and social networks to spread their messages to the voters for effective change.

For that reason, the Internet is not only a tool for media and politicians, but also for the voters.

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// Tagged Reports, new technology shaping democracy, Old media under threat, Politicians embrace social networks