TheAmerican election may have done for the internet what
Kennedy's election did for television. Both Obama and McCain used
the web to an unprecedented extent.But it was Obama's innovative
use of IT and digital marketing that gave him the
edge.
Obama relied on technology to mobilise an army of volunteers. He
used social networking to connect with them, giving them ways to
get involved and join the campaign. They sent out e-mails and
texts, and handled the responses from the public. His website made
it easy for supporters to donate, contributing to a campaign fund
in the area of $650m.
In comparison, with a few exceptions, the adoption of web
technologies by British politicians has so far been limited. Social
networking and other internet technologies may provide a route to
the "youth vote" that MPs yearn for, but web campaigning in the UK
is "still-born" here, says Paul Flynn, Labour MP and member of the
Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology.
"Obama's use of the internet was technically sophisticated,
engaging and provided the get-up-and-vote stimulus," he said. "Web
election campaigning is still-born here. Nothing has worked for the
main parties. It is the far-right that is winning hands-down.
"Web campaigning needs a new political vocabulary, style and
humour - far removed from the stultifying prose of traditional
party literature," he says.
Nick Body, an IT consultant who has worked for all three main
political parties, says that the status quo cannot last. Web 2.0
and social networking sites are "all about" personalised content,
offering politicians a way of communicating with voters that is not
possible with television or newspapers.
But while there may be lessons to learn, there are differences
in the UK that cannot be ignored. Greg Jackson is director of
online media strategy for the Labour party's online technology
partner, Tangent Labs. He says, "Everybody in politics is looking
to learn from what Obama's been doing in terms of increasing
involvement of grass roots supporters.
"But we cannot emulate it, because the American political system
is very different to ours." The campaigning process goes on for two
years in America in Britain it is only a few weeks, and politicians
have little notice of when elections will be. It takes time to
built momentum via web campaigning, he says.
And while Americans were asked to choose between two candidates
in one presidential election, in the UK 650 MPs are elected, with
campaigns mixing national and local messages.
Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt, shadow secretary of culture, media
and state, agreed, saying, "Although we can learn from America
about how best to use the internet there are some significant
differences. Barack Obama raised huge amounts of money from his
internet following but we do not have the same sort of presidential
election cycles here."
Despite the differences, the growth of the importance of
technology in politics cannot be ignored. David Evans, government
relations manager at the British Computer Society, says UK
politicians are still learning the new tone, style and dynamics
needed for web campaigning.
Politicians need to overcome their fear of the unfamiliar and
embrace the opportunities it provides. "Obama's team have clearly
got their cultural differences but there is a lot to learn.
"Hardly anyone in UK politics is doing it. The parties have not
got there yet, and MPs are nowhere near where they could be.
Politicians need to see it not as a threat, but as an opportunity
to express themselves."