How Obama did it

A main issue touched upon in the documentary we all watched was the generational gap that is emphasized by the internet's prominance in today's society. One would be oblivious, and quite in denial, if they were to disagree with this statement. Simply put, the internet has become an inevitable part of society, and it isn't going anywhere. Conversely, the internet is an imperative part of our future.

The magazine by David Talbot elaborates on the methods that the Obama campaign (of 2008) used to draw in more voters by taking advantage of the role of social networking in today's society. Those running for an election had an advantage over many of their predecessors who ran for office - they had a medium with which to reach a younger audience. Although not all candidates utilized the potential power of this medium to its full potential, those who did reaped numerous benefits in regards to their campaign.

Through effective social networking, the Obama campaign was able to set up a system in which volunteers could not only raise/donate money, but also organize their own campaigns. The latter is perhaps the most efficient aspect of the campaign because it allowed voters to work together and truly become a part of the campaign process, therefore making a change. This alleviated some of the campaign pressures from the main campaign office because individuals were taking on some of the "burden" and reaching out to target audiences on their own.

An additional benefit that Obama had through his large emphasis on social networking is the demographic of voters that would be reached. Traditionally, younger generations are not particularly interested in politics, however, the Obama campaign created an environment in which youngsters could become more involved, without having to worry too much about the technicalities of politics. Social networking was a medium to inform those who would have otherwise been disregarded, and consequently left uninformed.

Lastly, the Obama campaign was effective in creating an online resource that would make it easy for voters to follow the campaign, and more importantly to support the campaign. While I've already mentioned the man-power that was constructed through individual volunteer efforts, the monetary efforts were equally important. Unlike the Paul campaign, Obama was able to effectively organize the funds that he recieved through online donations. Similarly, unlike the Clinton campaign, Obama did not present an image that was too proud to accept the "small" donations (less than $200). As a result, the Obama campaign was able to receive a majority of its funding from the contributions of its supporters.

Bottom line: the internet is an extremely powerful tool in today's society, and one would be foolish to not take advantage of its potential - especially in a political campaign.