Learning From 2008

A new dvd film explores the uses of new media in electing Obama. The filmmaker, Danny Schecter, interviews Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs. McWorld, who says:

There are websites of young people who are deeply involved in the campaign who talk to one another, and now it would be very interesting because now that Obama's President, they will find that websites and some horizontal campaigns of young people involved with him, (are) now looking at him critically. And using the web to challenge him, to live up to what these young people believed he promised them and so on.

The film, "Barack Obama, People's President," brings insights like these to the fore. In an op-ed for Common Dreams, Schecter suggests:

The progressive critics of Obama, disappointed by his appointments and some of his cautious policies, have to go beyond railing in print or crying in their beer. They have to reach out to the grassroots army that assured his election. This means being willing to dialogue with liberals and younger people who don't label their politics. Reminding them of the role they played in a historic election may be one way to do that - to appeal to the instincts that led them to engage in the campaign for "change." There's no need to deify Obama - but there is an imperative to reenergize his base....

This is the new direction our politics has taken. It is a story that may be somewhat threatening to old media - and older activists - who prefer a one to many approach to communication, as opposed to forging a more interactive empowering platform. There is no question that young people - especially those mobilized by Obama - prefer online media and that choice is making it harder and harder for traditional outlets to sustain their influence and, in some cases, even their organizations.

To which I would add, new media can mobilize, but organization requires physical human contact. The generations have a lot to learn from each other. ey