The Proof Is in the Politics

The 2008 U.S. election year represents a good example of the sociology of New Media in Web communities. Before we even discuss 2008 and the presidential campaign, however, we want to trace the roots of Web sociology back to 2004 and the well-recognized campaign executed by Howard Dean. Dean’s campaign was way ahead of its time and led the election participants into a new realm of communication through social networking. In many of Dean’s early campaign speeches, you may have heard him say, “You don’t know me, but you will.” Many feel that Dean meant what he said. For Dean, his platform spread quickly via the Internet. A few key players and their forward-thinking strategies propelled Dean’s run for office. Joe Trippi, Dean’s campaign manager, brought the experience of six presidential campaigns and knowledge from a former career in computer software. The campaign soared to heightened awareness from Trippi’s expertise in technology and managerial skills. Dean also had two Web experts, Matthew Gross and Zephyr Teachout, who were the brains behind what people described as Dean’s “Web sensation.”

Dean’s Web site used a blog and various forums that helped to spread the word quickly. Best of all, a strong community formed on the Dean Web site—it was the community that built the Dean campaign, which, in turn, built a one-of-a-kind run for office. Other collaborative strategies involved meetup.com, the Web site used to organize events for different groups. The Dean for America campaign was able to gather hundreds of people from cities across the country through the meetup.com strategy. Although Dean did not win the Democratic nomination, his campaign achieved noteworthy success: He garnered more than 140,000 supporters before he even announced his candidacy.