I am at a four-day seminar on Election ’08: Covering Politics in Cyberspace organised by the Knight New Media Center at USC Annenberg.
The event kicked off with a keynote by political scientist Michael Cornfield. His message to the journalists in the room – interview the donors. In particular he highlighted how the number of small donors has doubled between 2003 and 2007.
In a wide-ranging talk, Cornfield explored the impact of the internet on politics in the US. One point he hammered home was how there is a disconnect between technology, social adoption of technology and the use by campaigns of the internet.
He explained that there has been a widespread adoption of new technology tools by the public – blogs, podcasts, social media – but that political consultants have not yet figured out the value of online campaigning.
His conclusion: “With the internet, the number of people who can influence the presidential race has gone from the thousands to the millions.”
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