Will Electronically-Mediated Communication (EMC) facilitate social (and political) engagement? What are the challenges and advantages of using the multiple modes of communication available to this "YouTube Generation"? In a recent article in the New York Times, columnists Rutenberg & Nagourney review the use of EMC in Obama's presidential campaign and the goal of "transforming the YouTubing-Facebooking-Texting-Twittering grass roots organization" that helped propel Obama into the White House. From an Inauguration broadcasted through Facebook to a national address posted on YouTube, it seems the EMC has become less of a challenge and more a norm of communication. The issue will be establishing common ground for the print-radio generation and the computer-based generation to share and reflect on the important events and questions of the day.
Melding Obama’s Web to a YouTube Presidency: Monday, January 26, 2009.