Saturday, November 15, 2008
MEET THE NEW BOSS
this is borderline surreal...as someone wrote, first of all, not to have a president who makes english into a stuttered abomination. also, do you remember anything like this for the last administration? I'm not the best judge, since this is basically the first time I've been paying attention. but looking at the site makes me think of the government in an entirely different way - vaguely commercial, I suppose, as there is something media-packaged about it; but overriding this is a feeling that there is an intimacy and immediacy between citizen and government that just wasn't there before. it's tremendously exciting.
1 comments:
A few days ago Rupert Murdoch spoke on the promise of technology, generally speaking, the advent of platforms such as YOUTUBE and the capacities of media editing and publication (CD/DVD-authoring, internet distribution, etc.) afforded by new media and internet or internet parallel communications technology. In this context, it's of interest to consider Obama's use of the service -- something he used EXTENSIVELY in his campaign (check the number of videos they posted); as well, it is worthwhile to remember the YES WE CAN video which was so well distributed even tenured professors separated from the bleeding edge of politics and or technology were talking about it. Some compare this to FDR's utilization of radio. Though parallel, this is something very different: but why? I think this sharpens the focus toward your incisions:
"something media-packaged about it" and "vaguely commercial" while "there is an intimacy and immediacy between citizen and government".
I'm personally optimistic because if this and other seemingly insignificant characteristics of the Obama presidency tell us anything, it's that this is someone who will employ technology in ways that improve and enhance the possibilities of each for the benefit of all. This generality is overstated, I realize, but consider this: think of the possibilities not merely for reaching an electorate, but with respect to governmental transparency: now that's an amazing idea, and really changes the way the media would work. IF governments were transparent, a fundamental role (watchdog) of media in democratic society is rendered somewhat redundant? It's interesting to consider not merely the concept of Obama's video-texts, but their implications?
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