Barack ObamaFollowing on the heels of our new Facebook page, we thought we’d take a moment to discuss the impact of social networking and other web 2.0 elements in today’s political landscape.

No matter who you supported in this year’s election, one thing was for sure: technology played a big part. President-Elect Obama’s embrace of latest technology not only energized and expanded his youthful base, but also allowed a lot more people to participate in a campaign than ever before, from fundraising to following the Obamas in photographs.  Making use of his own social networking site MyBarackObama, Mr. Obama allowed people to raise and donate money, create events, and even print lists of people in their area to visit or call during the campaigning.  Mr. Obama also used various websites to reach out to the public, including Facebook, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr, Twitter, and so on.  In embracing new technologies, Mr. Obama proved that, like Roosevelt’s radio addresses and Kennedy’s television performances before him, he (or she) that accepts and utilizes new technologies will only be better and stronger for it. 

Now that he’s been elected, what next? Once again, technology comes to the forefront.  People all over the world can see Mr. Obama’s intended plan for various topics on his new website: www.change.gov.  People can also suggest ideas and submit their vision for America.  One notable change from previous administrations is Mr. Obama’s intent on appointing a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) whose job it will be “to ensure that our government and all its agencies have the right infrastructure, policies and services for the 21st century“.  The details of this position are still a bit foggy, but at the rate technology is increasing these days, this is a position that will likely be much-needed.

For more information on the role of technology in this campaign, see:

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