Can’t help but watch with much interest as the “wisdom of the crowd” through the power of Social Media is changing the political landscape not only here but around the world.
http://www.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUSKLR6139420080309
Malaysia’s weak opposition was able to bypass the mainstream media and leveraged the Social Media space to stun the ruling party. It is very interesting when compared to what is going on here in the US. I was reading Elizabeth Wong’s Blog and saw this quote from the Malaysian Insider; “There were frequent cries of “Just change it” in Hokkien, referring to the political situation.”
It is impossible not to notice the evolution of the “Invisible Primary” strategy used by Howard Dean in 2004 to the strategy now being employed by Barack Obama. His campaign has completely embraced the Social Media platforms to bypass the mainstream media and to use the “power of the crowds” to promote his blueprint for change; “Yes We Can” and to leave everyone else far behind when it comes to fundraising. I think the key here is not the power of the campaign but the power of the crowd and word-of-mouth viral marketing.
Hard not to agree that it is going to be very difficult in the future for candidates at all levels from local community races -> national campaigns to be successful without completely embracing Social Media platforms… Politics 2.0!!!
