History has been made and Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. Never in the history of this country have we seen a presidential candidate use the power of technology to the degree he did to help win an election. Let’s be clear – technology didn’t win the election, Barack Obama did, but technology was certainly an enabler. President-elect (“PE”) Obama and the Obama for America campaign used the power of the Internet, web 2.0 technologies such as blogging, automated communications tools and the like to create a true grassroots campaign. His use of technology allowed PE Obama to make his message of Change viral and enabled a groundswell and campaign to be built block by block and community by community rather than the traditional state by state organization. This was critical because PE Obama was not nationally known. Essentially, his use of technology allowed PE Obama to attract and engage with more donors and a younger generation than any candidate has ever experienced.
Why should Barack Obama’s technology savviness matter? It is much easier to be an advocate for technological change if you actually understand and use technology. PE Obama gets it. He has been living it. He knows the power of technology and what it can mean and do in real life situations.
I am hopeful for big ideas and real change when it comes to government’s and corporate’s use and investment in information technology. The President-elect can show leadership in technology through action and example. The commercial technology sector has to operate on its own but if our leaders are technologically savvy and demonstrate thought leadership, companies will invent and invest in technology that will lead our country to long-term sustainable growth. This is key as I truly believe technology is not only an enabler for change, but an enabler for growth.
Much needs to be done. There are still places in America that don’t have the technology infrastructure such as broadband connectivity and wireless that are necessary for growth. Many companies are using antiquated technologies that hinder their ability to effectively communicate internally among employees and externally with their customers. Now is the time for America to be the technology powerhouse it can be and lead the world from a recession back to growth and prosperity. We need investment in infrastructure and wireless; we need to be at the forefront of Web 2.0 technologies and beyond; we need to get our companies to adopt social networking technologies that many of our employees have already embraced in their personal lives; we need to not only grow revenue but gain efficiency through technologies such as VoIP, virtualization and automation; we need to develop applications that truly allow our companies and government agencies to compete in a global economy; we need to focus on green power and energy efficient computing; and we need to embrace technology in industries, such as health care, alternative energy and education that will really make a difference in our lives.
Even in a down market, the future looks bright for technology and long term economic growth, particularly with a new administration that gets it and knows its value and importance. Can we work with President-elect Obama to bring this technology innovation to bear and move our country forward? Yes we can.
