The 2007 French Presidential election has been heralded as moving e-political c
ommunication into a new phase and in the UK Tim Montgomerie, the creator of Conservative Home, has argued that the next UK general election will be the first Internet election; going as far as to state that "If our existing political parties do not find a way of building online communities that channel that power, they will die". But do not be mistaken in thinking that this is simply a Anglo-American/French phenomenon. Following in the footsteps of car manufacturers Toyota and Honda, and perhaps borrowing from Sarkozy's Ile de France, Japanese MP Kan Suzuki is to move from simply blogging to create a Second Life and create a cyber office in order to "discuss new policies with net citizens, deliver lectures and also hold meetings". While discussion currently centres on whether Suzuki will be in breach of strict election regulations, it seems that social media is increasingly being harnessed for permanent campaigning by political parties and candidates. As more of the world's population go online, is E-politics the future and will the future be virtual interaction as opposed to the static post or post and respond websites and blogs? Is this the silver bullet that can kill disengagement and apathy; it is too soon to tell but it seems that resources are being focused on releasing the potential of online campaign environment.
ommunication into a new phase and in the UK Tim Montgomerie, the creator of Conservative Home, has argued that the next UK general election will be the first Internet election; going as far as to state that "If our existing political parties do not find a way of building online communities that channel that power, they will die". But do not be mistaken in thinking that this is simply a Anglo-American/French phenomenon. Following in the footsteps of car manufacturers Toyota and Honda, and perhaps borrowing from Sarkozy's Ile de France, Japanese MP Kan Suzuki is to move from simply blogging to create a Second Life and create a cyber office in order to "discuss new policies with net citizens, deliver lectures and also hold meetings". While discussion currently centres on whether Suzuki will be in breach of strict election regulations, it seems that social media is increasingly being harnessed for permanent campaigning by political parties and candidates. As more of the world's population go online, is E-politics the future and will the future be virtual interaction as opposed to the static post or post and respond websites and blogs? Is this the silver bullet that can kill disengagement and apathy; it is too soon to tell but it seems that resources are being focused on releasing the potential of online campaign environment.
1 comment:
Darren - I've tagged you as a rising star in the blogosphere. Don't let me down.
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