From fundraising to volunteer mobilization, the Obama campaign team used every online and digital tool it could to secure him the presidency. Now in power, the new president has taken the first steps towards making the US government more technologically connected and more interactive with its constituency. President Obama has already brought change to the White House through his use of technology to govern. He uses new media in an unprecedented way from his daily emails to subscribers detailing his plans for action to his internet weekly addresses to remain connected with citizens.
Politicians use the media as a way to set their agenda. They can promote an issue to bring it to the attention of the public. Politicians are now setting their agenda’s by appealing to the public directly. The use of the internet in the political sphere has opened doors that were once only used to the media. The public can now receive email messages from politicians informing them on the currents laws passed by the politician and find out where they stand on certain policy issues. This also provides a personal appeal that could not be given by the media.
Take the daily emails from the Obama administration for example. These emails let me know what is happening in the government, such as what policies are being considered, as well as allow me to show either my support or dislike for those policies through a link for a discussion board. These emails keep me up to date on issues I may otherwise have missed. I have to say I look forward to my daily emails from the Obama administration. It is exciting to be a part of change. Others may not feel the same. Many would argue that these emails are cluttering their inboxes but I think there is valuable information politicians need to get out to the public and that these emails are a convenient way to do just that.
The public can also access President Obama’s webpage and see his recovery plans for the economic crisis rather than hearing a distorted version of his ideas through the biased media. The American people can also use the multimedia offered on the site to watch videos of the president. Last week the president gave his speech to a Joint Session of Congress. For those who missed it, his speech can be accessed on YouTube as well as through a posting on the president’s website.
Rather than relying on journalists to serve as a watchdog, the public can now hold politicians personally accountable for the promises they do not live up to through this more private relationship with the politicians. President Obama plans to try to skip the media, while delivering his message directly to the public, albeit via a more high tech mode. Just this past Saturday morning, the president delivered one of his weekly addresses on the internet where he explained how the budget he sent to Congress will fulfill the promises he made as a candidate.
This new technologically advanced White House administration does invite criticism however. Many argue that the Obama administration may not always like what they hear from the citizens on their forums and discussion boards and they may begin to censor certain messages from appearing thereby limiting democracy. Some are fearful that his efforts will create a government-controlled news channel, which will destroy independent journalism. In his article, Bennett claims that politicians dominate the media and frame messages from their perspective in order to shape public opinion.
I seem to be more fearful of the media in the sense that I would rather be given the information straight from the source and formulate my own opinions than be spoon fed the media’s perception of politics. We have become an interactive society and we should no longer sit idly by waiting to be given information from the media when we can receive the same info ourselves straight from the politicians themselves. I would also argue that technology seems to encourage participation in a democracy because it provides people with outlets needed to express their views. In fact we should encourage local politicians to take advantage of the internet the way Obama has and create a connection with their constituents in order to restore trust in our government. Although it would be strange to have Governor Patterson or Mayor Bloomberg as my friend on Facebook, as long as I am kept up to date on where my tax money is going I will take e-democracy in any form I can.
I thought you went very in depth and you definitely seem passionate about your topic. The page looks sharp and the inclusion of the videos was cool. There were some grammatical errors so I would just go over it again and proof read with a little more attention to detail. Otherwise I thought you did a very good job and this was one of the most professional looking pages in our group.
ReplyDeleteNice blog. I like the Larry King dots. Including images and video makes it more interesting. Why don't I get daily e-mails from the president? I should sign myself up for that. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteUnfiltered yes, but unbiased absolutely not. While you get your news straight from the horse's mouth, you are also getting a horse's eye view of the world (to put it rather awkwardly).
ReplyDeleteNews organizations not only discuss the President's speeches and the goings-ons of the Administration but also the events that inspire them. While I have a great deal of respect for the Obama administration and its new media efforts, they should not become a replacement for the newspaper, but rather a supplement.
Beyond running the country, the President also acts as an inspirational speaker, galvanizer, and champion of his own agenda. No matter how much you idolize the guy, you have to realize he will present himself, his decisions, and their effect on the world in a flattering light.
By all mean, keep informed on his politics--but don't rely on a politician for your news.
Very nice blog.. The visual interface was great. It seemed as if your blog was being sponsored by some sort of professional organization. It was written and organized very well.. I am going to be honest in one aspect though.. those emails from Obama that you enjoy receiving and reading have begun to bore me.. I pretty much always delete them now.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the videos are a great addition. Obama's innovative use of the internet is one of the factors that got him to the White House, so it makes sense that he and his team are continuing to take advantage of technology to advance his agenda. I feel that the only way to achieve a balanced understanding of any topic is to review a variety of outlets and sources - the internet is a great resource that helps you do just that. However, even though I am also a fan of a lot of politicians on facebook, I think that serves more as a way to advertise one's political beliefs rather than access useful policy information.
ReplyDeleteGreat post.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking as someone who has to look at the White House website everyday for work, I have noticed a huge change since the Obama administration took office. It used to be a guessing game to find information and now it has become much more user friendly. In general, they have used the internet much better than other candidates and presidents, and I think this has excited a lot people. I would be weary about getting all of my information from this source even though I support Obama.
I know that there have been a few articles written about this topic, it would be useful to link to what someone else has to say about this.
Nice Work!
Ina
Your blog is very reader friendly visually, and I like your use of videos, and the subject matter clearly relates very closely to some of our class discussions on how politicians use new media. I think that perhaps you could add a bit more original content, which I think you start to do at the end. One way that you might do this is maybe by discussing some of the content of the e-mails that you get from the administration, which isn't something I've seen discussed a whole lot in the mainstream media. What kinds of things are they informing supporters on, are they asking Americans to do specific things, etc. are aspects you could explore. Then you might also provide some commentary on how you think people might react to such messages - you look forward to the e-mails, Ali says in the comment section he finds them boring. Salim also makes a good point in the comments about how information from politicians themselves typically is from a particular perspective, and this also brings to mind Bennett's ideas about message shaping, etc. which you could also bring in here.
ReplyDelete