Perlmutter at Texas Tech on Campaign 2008

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
I was part of an invited panel and spoke several times at meetings and classes at the College of Communications of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. Our host was Professor Tom Johnson. The subject was media and campaign 2008--of course! The other panelists included Michael Xenos, Louisiana State University; Elizabeth A. Skewes, University of Colorado; and Richard Johnson, University of Pennsylvania. Some of my points: Barack Obama's victory was the result of the old and the new. Very effective traditional campaigning, ranging from getting out the vote to event organization to polling, were mixed with innovative use of new media, especially online social-interactive (OSIM) venues such as blogs, MySpace, YouTube, Twitter, and so on. Barack Obama probably did not have a coattail influence on others running for office. The general Democratic Party brand was, in November, simply more popular than the Republican Party brand. But the massive publicity about Obama's OSIM efforts and successes affected and will continue to affect other campaigns for office. Simply put, every sheriff,...
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Perlmutter at Jeremy Taylor Show

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
I was a guest on the Jeremy Taylor Show on 1320 am radio in Lawrence. Our planned topic was "What will happen next in politics and media and our personal lives after the very prominent rise of online social-interactive media in campaign 2008?" Among my points: It will be interesting to see how the Obama administration uses OSIM in governing and gaining support for policies, programs, and projects in a different or similar way than they did for winning votes and raising money for the presidential election. I suggested that it would be a mistake to overdo OSIM--that is, if all those who had given their text message address to the Obama campaign received a note from him daily, there would be a significant turn-off of interest and enthusiasm. Like all weapons in politics or war, OSIM outreach must be used prudently. Second, referring to my previous post on a "slow blogging movement," I wonder whether we will reach a saturation effect, with instantaneousness, interactivity,...
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The End of Geoprivacy

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
Ever have the feeling that someone is spying on you? Today, it's more likely that you are broadcasting enough information thatanyone can spy on you. In the most recent issue of Wired magazine, freelance writer Mathew Honan recounts his "I am here"adventures of a "3-week experiment of living la vida local." Using all the new technology (software and hardware) especially iPhone apps, he demonstrates how easy it is to be constantly monitoring your environment electronically as well as for everybody to know where you are. For example, with the program WhoseHere, you can send your latitude and longitude location and instantly get responses from other people in the area. The responses, needless to say, range from "I'm looking for sex" to "Really great coffee shop." Other interesting revelations: "Because iPhones embed geodata into photos that users upload to Flickr or Picasa, iPhone shots can be automatically placed on a map." In other words, people will know exactly where you were when you took the picture. Interestingly,...
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