Prometheus 6

He won't. You will.

Mr. Obama knows that supporters who feel closely connected to other supporters, who are kept closely informed about the cause, who are empowered to take actions in support of the cause, are likely to be not just casual supporters but members of a movement.  Internet social network websites allow people to share even small actions that move the cause forward, and shared small actions tend to evolve into larger commitments of time, attention and energy.

Of the candidates, Mr. Obama appears to be particularly aware of this potential change.  Mr. Obama has often expressed on the campaign trail that to change Washington, to break the gridlock he sees engulfing both parties, he needs a movement that happens from the bottom up.  Although his strongest supporters may feel the election of Mr. Obama will effect this change, Mr. Obama does not seem to be of the same opinion.  To change how Washington operates he needs the movement to continue while he is in office.

Consider the tools a potential President has at their disposal.  While John F. Kennedy may have been the first television president, Ronald Reagan may have perfected speaking to the camera, and George W. Bush has utilized the power of a sympathetic television channel and talk radio hosts, each of these prior technologies have been largely one way mediums of communication channeled through media companies that distort the relationship a politician seeks to have with their constituency.  To organize effectively to carry a message across television and radio, modern presidencies run around the clock operations to drive a particular message through the external media companies that carry the information to the citizens.  The administration of George W. Bush has created common talking points that will appeal to a broad base of his supporters, which are used by a network of media figures and commentators that seek to stay on message.  In the 2000 and 2004 elections, Karl Rove harnessed direct mail technologies to send targeted political messages to particular constituencies, but he was using a broadcast medium to target small groups of supporters with the message that would most appeal to them.  Direct mail is very expensive to maintain on a prolonged basis, and therefore has been used mostly during election campaigns themselves.

Internet tools do not have these limitations.  The Internet provides a platform for organizing and energizing social movements in a new way.  Therefore Internet tools could have a tremendous effect on not just how governments get chosen, but how governments operate.  Internet social networks allow people to stay engaged on a continuous basis.  They also allow large numbers of people to receive the same message at the same time, cost effectively, without any filter or immediate commentary from critics.  They allow targeted delivery of messages.  If you trust the brand of a social network such as my.barackobama.com, if you value its tools and its services to you, you end up trusting many of the messages you receive through it.

The President elected in 2008 can, if they choose, communicate with anyone who provided their personal information during the campaign at nearly no cost, without having their message filtered.  A sitting President could reach out to a broad base of strong supporters, keep those supporters in close contact with each other, keep those supporters funneling their support to sympathetic Congressmen, keep those supporters hounding political adversaries, and keep those supporters listening to their message.  Most importantly, the nature of the message can be very granular.  Millions of supporters in a particular zip code could be asked to contact their legislator on a particular bill that the President seeks to oppose or support.  In theory, supporters with particular demographics, with particular religious persuasions, in particular regions of the country, could be sent messages tailored for them.  For governing, the ability to coordinate a vast citizenry in such a manner is an innovation more significant than radio, more significant than television, and more significant than direct mail.