Is the YouTube-isation of politics a good thing?

The internet is a powerful force in politics - that much is a given after Obama's win. In a fascinating panel at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, Arianna Huffington, founder of the Huffington Post, Joe Trippi, democratic strategist, and Gavin Newsom, the mayor of San Francisco discussed the implications.

Trippi (website), a consultant who pioneered the use of the internet in politics with the Howard Dean campaign in 2004, started off with a startling fact: people spent 14.5 million hours watching Obama on YouTube. That kind of exposure on television would have cost $47 million, half of what the McCain campaign spent in total.

Huffington said, rather dramatically: "Were it not for the internet, Obama would not be president."

Anyway, Trippi said the ability of YouTube to provide a way of exposing politicians' every move and every word was a positive thing. He said the medium demanded authenticity and that is something that politicians were just going to have to learn to live with.

But Newsom, whose name pulls up nearly 800 hits on YouTube partly as a result of an extra-marital affair he confessed to, was more wary. "We are in a reality TV series in politics 24/7" he complained.

See what Newsom means in the video. He loses his rag when confronted over his alleged drinking last year.

 

But Trippi said: "We are all human beings and people are going to see that. Get used to it."

The conversation turned to how the Obama campaign had changed US politics. Trippi said the public financing of politics would change completely. Because of grass roots donors, facilitated by the net, political parties would not need to accept big cheques - an end to the pork barrel. He said Obama's ability to micro-organise supporters would transform local political activity. And the viral ability of video would transform civic engagement. All big claims.

A dose of reality came from Newsom who pointed out that there was in America and "just a block away from here" a whole section of society who "had no clue what we are talking about".
He said there was a huge digital divide with millions of people whose only media was the TV set and a cable box - if they could afford it.

Finally Huffington waxed lyrical about how Obama has transcended left and right and become an independent force. Trippi said one in 18 adult Americans had signed up to his cause - a huge opportunity for the president-elect to transform the old two-party system. Newsom, ever the elected official, said the possibilities were amazing but the new force had to set proper goals and achieve them - it had to be the "get it done party."

I'll give the last word to Huffington: "Sarah Palin was McCain's Trojan Moose".

Comments

[Bob Evans]

Alas, YouTube represents just more dumbing down of politics to win over the most ignorant of the electorate incapable of understanding the deep issues involved.

As for Huffington, everyone who places her on a pedestal has conveniently forgotten that she was a far Right-wing conservative Republican until she and her husband, Michael, met electoral rejection by the GOP. After divorcing Michael, she began her metamorphosis into a rabid hater of all things Republican.

[James]

The youtubeisation as you call it is only good if it used in a right and moral way..

All to often we have seen youtube used for showing violence and sex... It is also a mirror into the lack of attention span which people seem to have now, and their need for quick fast soundbites and not as we wanted in the past in depth analysis and study.

If politics is to survive this Reality TV feeling you say it has, then it needs to prove itself beyond the raft of the Reality Tv we are spoon fed on our screens each evening.. if that can even be said to be Reality Tv as it is edited in such a way as to provoke a reaction in the watching hordes...

Politics is about leading the country and guiding it's citizens, Feeding them and educating them.. Reality Tv is all about keeping them in front of the screen with the possibility of sex or the increasing risk of tension between people so as to have them just where you want them when the advert break begins...

If Obama or any other politician start to try and sell me a Ford car or try to convince me I need a New phone or Insurance then I for one will switch channels right away.

[Simon H.]

The internet represents an evolution towards "collective consciousness" . What is happening now is a clearing of the blockages around communication and an opening up of a more sophisticated dialogue. This will bring about a revolution in human attention, what we are paying attention to. The same as a new consciousness, a new age.

In any rational overview mankind is in evolutionary crisis. His behaviour needs to evolve to a different way of being. This evolution is now taking place in human beings attention.

[Derek]

Most computer literate households by now use the internet as their primary source of information. That's why we all know what "Google it" means. Additionally, domains like YouTube are where the common man gets to say what he means and express his views and aspirations. As I recall those are the ideals of Democracy, so a YouTube or similar campaign is certainly the future.

[chris1111]

This years election is the only election that viewers of Fox News had a powerful rival - the internet.
Whatever and whoever the candidates, Fox waste no time in demeaning them or criticising their every utterance.
I remember saying to a friend of mine, months before the election, that who ever Fox News endorsed, he/she would win. And that was that.
With the internet, which is too far above semi-literate rednecks intellects to make any use of the internet to comment, debate etc, only understandable through porn and games. Creationists never use the internet anyway because they believe that evil spirits are lying in wait under the keyboard, and there are too many devils (meaning sensible people) on it tempting their faith.

[Karin]

Ever since the mainstream US & UK news media went to sleep in 2003 with the Iraq War (run-up and prosecution), I have found myself trusting them less and less to disseminate actual unbiased news or even make an effort. The continued existence of Fox News is the worst example. The availability of YouTube to get unfiltered access to content, quickly and across usually restrictive borders, has been excellent. Sadly, since 2003, comedians have proved the most reliable sources of information, naturally questioning everything and not being beholden to the Administration. YouTube allowed transmission of the best bits-laughs and news delivered up together. Just as with 24/7 news, there's no turning back from Web delivery.