Society | DOI: 10.1145/1461928.1461935
Samuel Greengard

the first Internet
President

Barak Obama’s presidential campaign utilized the Internet and information technology unlike any previous political campaign. How politicians and the public interact will never be the same.

When baRacK obaMa stepped on stage in Chicago’s Grant Park to deliver his victory speech last November 4, it represented a defining moment in American history. Although the news media and the public couldn’t help but recognize the historic fact that Obama had become the nation’s first black president, it was no less significant that the 47-year-old community activist and politician had also become America’s first Internet president.

Throughout a two-year campaign, Obama’s political team—including campaign manager David Plouffe and senior adviser David Axelrod—tapped into information technology to redefine the election process and interact with people in new and different ways. The campaign team mined email addresses and used them to build a database of more than 13 million people, they turned to social networking sites such as Facebook to amass followers and disperse information, and they posted videos on the campaign Web site Barack- Obama.com as well as on You Tube.

It was a winning strategy. However, the ripple effects are likely to extend far beyond future elections and into the White House and government itself. Political observers say that politics has reached a critical threshold and there’s no turning back. “The ability to connect via the Internet to groups, segments, and individuals changes everything. It flattens the process and creates a bottom-up approach to participation,” says Joe Trippi, who pioneered the use of the Internet in Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential bid and has worked on the presidential campaigns of Edward Kennedy, Walter Mondale, Gary Hart, Dick Gephardt, and John Edwards.

“This was a watershed election,” adds

Barak obama’s Web site enabled his presidential campaign to communicate directly with supporters, launch canvassing and get-out-the-vote campaigns, and raise millions of dollars.

Mitch Kapor, co-founder of the Electron- has unmistakable limitations. It cannot ic Frontier Foundation and now a prin- be targeted to specific segments and de-cipal at Kapor Enterprises. “It has set a mographic groups as it offers a one-size-tone for the country. There’s a growing fits-all message. recognition that information technol- Of course, since the mid-1990s, can-ogy is here to stay. It has moved into the didates have constructed Web sites and mainstreamof Americanpolitics.” used them to promote their agenda.

But in the Web 1.0 world, these sites served as little more than e-brochures, allowing candidates to post news, information, and positions on various issues. They made it easier to disperse information, but did nothing to target groups of voters more effectively. Then in 2004, Howard Dean began soliciting contributions via the Web—though the focus was still squarely on what Trippi describes as “big donor money and broadcast media.” To be sure, the Inter-

iMage by rick klaU

amassing media Throughout history, political candidates have searched for every advantage in the quest to get elected. Town hall meetings, radio addresses, and television appearances have all served as valuable tools to capture hearts, minds, and votes. However, as these tools have evolved, one thing has become perfectly clear: traditional mass media—despite its long reach and powerful influence—

 

16 CommunICatIons of the aCm | feBRuaRY 2009 | vol. 52 | No. 2