Smart Mobs and Campaigning
Tomorrow's New York Times has an op-ed by Thomas Friedman, "Is Google God?" He includes this point toward the end:
"The key point is not just whether people hate us," says Robert Wright, the author of "Nonzero," a highly original book on the integrated world. "The key point is that it matters more now whether people hate us, and will keep mattering more, for technological reasons. I don't mean just homemade W.M.D.'s. I am talking about the way information technology — everyone using e-mail, Wi-Fi and Google -- will make it much easier for small groups to rally like-minded people, crystallize diffuse hatreds and mobilize lethal force. And wait until the whole world goes broadband. Broadband -- a much richer Internet service that brings video on demand to your PC -- will revolutionize recruiting, because video is such an emotionally powerful medium. Ever seen one of Osama bin Laden's recruiting videos? They're very effective, and they'll reach their targeted audience much more efficiently via broadband."
Now, turn that around and think about mobilizing people for your political campaign -- like, say, Howard Dean -- and think about the power of the Internet. Throw in Wi-Fi, and you have the ability to reach people where they are, even if they are not sitting at a desk. Throw in handheld Wi-Fi devices like the kind of phones people are using in Asia and Europe with text messaging, and look out, 'cause the times they are a-changing. (See my post on Christmas Eve about this.)