In Communicator-In-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House, editors John Allen Hendricks and Robert E. Denton, Jr. and associates analyze the unprecedented role of new media technologies in the 2008 presidential campaign. The editors demonstrate how President Barack Obama and his team masterfully communicated and motivated the general electorate, especially the millennial generation, through the strategic use of new media.
The book begins with an acknowledgement of the importance of communication in political “thought, debate, and action.” Editors Hendricks and Denton argue that one cannot separate the notion of politics from how it is communicated; therefore, politics takes place through communication. The first chapter gives a succinct overview of historical political communication and the importance of mass media in shaping American political history.
The book then introduces how new communication technologies of the 21st century have changed both the form and content of political communication. Hendricks and Denton clearly explain how in this digital age, we are transitioning from traditional mediated communication to electronic communication, which allows for more direct and two-sided communication between a candidate and his or her constituents. Indeed, the book establishes that it was Obama’s embrace of these new communication tools which allowed him to “bypass the traditional political media in a way no other President can have dreamt of… [creating] a relationship between a President and his public.”
After setting up the historical and contextual background, the remaining essays examine the strategies and techniques that Obama and his “Triple O” campaign team used to harness the power of new media. These platforms include email, social media, blogs, viral videos, web applications and even video games. The essays present an interesting, informational and useful overview of how the 2008 elections differed from all others due to technological communication that especially resonated with Obama’s younger constituents.
The book is an appropriate supplemental reading for future public information strategies courses. The engaging collection of essays explores the many ways in which digital technology shapes the relationship between candidates and citizens. The messages are increasingly important as new media continues to grow in all aspects of communication, especially for young voters. However, one will need to make sure that the book remains pertinent. It will be interesting to see the results of the upcoming November election and how new media communication played a role. Still, this book remains relevant as Obama was the first president to use the platform in such a strategic manner. It was Obama and his new media campaign team who formed the strategy that will be followed by future political contenders when using new media to communicate with their constituents.
I recommend Communicator-In-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House as a valuable tool for students and communication professionals alike who are looking to learn how to harness the power of new media to gain public support.
LINDSAY ALBRIGHT
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The book begins with an acknowledgement of the importance of communication in political “thought, debate, and action.” Editors Hendricks and Denton argue that one cannot separate the notion of politics from how it is communicated; therefore, politics takes place through communication. The first chapter gives a succinct overview of historical political communication and the importance of mass media in shaping American political history.
The book then introduces how new communication technologies of the 21st century have changed both the form and content of political communication. Hendricks and Denton clearly explain how in this digital age, we are transitioning from traditional mediated communication to electronic communication, which allows for more direct and two-sided communication between a candidate and his or her constituents. Indeed, the book establishes that it was Obama’s embrace of these new communication tools which allowed him to “bypass the traditional political media in a way no other President can have dreamt of… [creating] a relationship between a President and his public.”
After setting up the historical and contextual background, the remaining essays examine the strategies and techniques that Obama and his “Triple O” campaign team used to harness the power of new media. These platforms include email, social media, blogs, viral videos, web applications and even video games. The essays present an interesting, informational and useful overview of how the 2008 elections differed from all others due to technological communication that especially resonated with Obama’s younger constituents.
The book is an appropriate supplemental reading for future public information strategies courses. The engaging collection of essays explores the many ways in which digital technology shapes the relationship between candidates and citizens. The messages are increasingly important as new media continues to grow in all aspects of communication, especially for young voters. However, one will need to make sure that the book remains pertinent. It will be interesting to see the results of the upcoming November election and how new media communication played a role. Still, this book remains relevant as Obama was the first president to use the platform in such a strategic manner. It was Obama and his new media campaign team who formed the strategy that will be followed by future political contenders when using new media to communicate with their constituents.
I recommend Communicator-In-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House as a valuable tool for students and communication professionals alike who are looking to learn how to harness the power of new media to gain public support.
LINDSAY ALBRIGHT
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill