« "Michael Moore lost the election" | Main | The FCC, Private Ryan, and Catch-22 » Election 2004 LessonsPersonal Democracy Forum asked several people, including yours truly, to answer this question: "What was the single most important use of technology, or lesson about the role of technology, in this election?" First round of answers posted here. My response: I'm not sure I can zero in on a "single most"; I think it's important to consider all of the following: We've always suspected that Internet technology could transform politics; online activists have been around for years, though they were mostly focused on technology policy. Before the Internet would have an impact on broader political issues, we needed to see a critical mass of users who had been online long enough to be comfortable with at least some aspects of the technology. We're there. For a political candidate to use the Internet effectively, there would have to be some cessation of message control. Howard Dean and Joe Trippi understood that, and they took the chance; others will hopefully follow. In order to use technology to empower citizens and support their participation, we needed to build effective activist tools and networks. We're doing that, and we're thinking how to be more inclusive. My hope now is that we won't lose momentum; that citizens will understand that their involvement doesn't end with their vote, that they will use the many tools that are emerging to support an ongoing participation in political process. jon posted this at 11:06 PM |
read weblogsky! latest posts: |
