What role did the Internet play in the recent US presidential elections? A pretty big one, according to this article on the New York Times' blog Bits, which argues that Barack Obama's use of the Internet in his presidential campaign has changed US politics, drawing parallels to John F Kennedy's use of the televised medium in the 1960 campaign.
The article quotes panelists at the recent Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco, who argue that Obama's use of free Internet tools such as Youtube not only grabbed eyeballs but saved millions of dollars of campaigning money. (over at Playthings, Ayeshea Perreira has a more in-depth post on the various online tools that the candidates used in their campaigns). The instant access to past speeches and comments also demanded greater answerability. Technology and consumer-focused businesses, particularly start-ups, have typically used the Internet as a cost-effective medium for marketing themselves and delivering business solutions. Its widespread use during this year's US electoral campaign with similar effect is noteworthy. Obama, who posted regular updates on popular social media platform Twitter had the largest number of followers on the site. His last tweet (Twitter update), a little after the results, says, "We just made history. All of this happened because you gave your time, talent and passion. All of this happened because of you. Thanks."
Indian politicians too have dabbled in online platforms such as blogging, but with little results so far. As this Mint article noted in September, politicians seem reluctant to allow that kind of open access to themselves that the medium's interactivity offers. In the Indian context, however, the ubiquitous mobile phone may hold better prospects for campaigning politicians. With over 300 million users and a reach that extends far beyond the metros, it will be interesting to watch how parties harness the medium. Thanks to a spate of reality TV shows, we are already accustomed to voting for contestants through SMS. Can electoral voting be far behind?