DPI-665Politics of the Internet
Feb 29, 2012
“How Electoral Politics is Being Changed”
Micah L. Sifry
Audio: http://bit.ly/wtcA9O
CC-BY-NC-SA
Topics for discussion
• How did the Dean campaign use the Internet to tap into “network effects”?
• What do Phil de Vellis and Joe Anthony represent, as new actors in campaign organizing?
• What is the difference between distributed work and decentralized power?
Dean campaign background
• Youthful, desperate, “nothing to lose”
• Joe Trippi, campaign manager, had dabbled in online communities
• Rise of the “netroots” in 2002-03
• Dems were searching for a viable anti-war presidential candidate
Other reinforcers
Hyper-empowerment
• Joe Anthony, super-volunteer
• Phil de Vellis, super-messenger
Obama tools
Food for thought
• What is the difference between distributed work and decentralized power?
• Who was empowered by the Obama 2008 campaign?
