|
Lindsay Tanner, March 02, 2009
The mainstream media reported the internet phenomenon in Dean's campaign purely as a new fundraising method. And while it was certainly spectacularly successful in that regard (and brilliantly copied and extended by Barack Obama in the subsequent presidential campaign) that's only part of the story.
The Dean campaign built a vast online network of hundreds of thousands of supporters that ran campaign events, refined and improved campaign strategies and materials, and continuously energised the official campaign.
His campaign effectively decentralised itself, and ceded significant ownership and control to this enormous supporters network.
As a result, Dean went from rank outsider to front-runner almost overnight. Traditional top-down, hierarchical and bureaucratic campaigns run by contenders like John Kerry were caught flat-footed.
The internet is transforming politics, just as it is transforming our entire society. It's not just changing election campaigns; it's also changing the way government's function. Web 2.0 social networking technologies are opening up new opportunities for interaction between government and citizens.
The Rudd Government is trialling three online consultations, designed to engage interested citizens in dialogue on key issues.
They involve the question of how human rights should be protected in Australia , digital economy policy, and regulation of childcare. They allow a genuine multilateral conversation, where interested individuals can interact with each other as well as the government.
Tools such as blogs are opening up new possibilities for government dialogue with citizens . It will enable regulators to engage in continuous dialogue with those affected by regulation. It will allow governments to consult much more intensively when developing new policies.
Joe Trippi is a pioneer in the internet world. He understands the threat that the internet poses to big, hierarchical, rigid institutions.
Anyone running a large organisation, public or private would be well-advised to listen to his message. Mass movements mobilised through the internet, whether as voters or consumers are changing the world. Institutions that stand in their way are gambling with their future.
|
