Change in the media landscape

Barack Obamas victory in the U.S. presidential election is due in large part to the fact that he managed to reach minority groups and young voters. 2 out of 3 young Americans support Obama and the fact that they voted is a clear proof of how successful his campaign was carried out.

At a lecture on October 16th, I again used the Obama campaign to illustrate our new media world and how social media can be used not only to communicate but to engage people. This Thursday morning, just after the third and final presidential debate, the example was also fuming hot.

We began by looking at our largest newspaper Dagens Nyheter (Todays News), by many still considered the absolute main medium of broad debate and formation of opinion. Since the night’s debate between McCain and Obama was going on as the paper boy was delivering the paper, obviously not a sentence on this debate was written.

From there we went to Dagens Nyheter´s website to read the summary and analysis. (Today, it is not much to speak of, but I remember the resistance to “give away the newspaper” on the internet less than 10 years ago).

The lecture quickly went on to the New York Times. At nytimes.com you can, unlike at dn.se, not only read but also look at the debate. And unlike conventional TV, you can here choose which questions you want to watch and listen to. NYT proves that they do not belong to the newspaper industry load of paper huggers, but live by Internet researcher Jeff Coles motto “On the Internet nobody knows you are a newsPAPER.”

Here we get a vivid reminder of the news media´s enormous opportunities with the Internet. NYT has created a player with the candidates’ statements transcribed, so I can scroll in their speech word for word, and a simple timeline which in clear blue and red blocks specifies the debate topic and speakers. Watch yourself, you will never bother to listen to a broadcast debate again!

On the subject of listening. From New York Times, we went on to Current to look at the future of television debate. In collaboration with the micro-blog Twitter Current offers the  format “Hack the debate.” Anybody can now participate and influence the debate. It is also really easy. You get a Twitter account, write what you want to say and just end with #current.

This morning I had myself participated in the debate (it is dangerous to talk about things you only read about) and could thus not only demonstrate but also describe the experience.

Many wondered if viewers Tweets was somehow lifted into the debate, or what I meant by that I not only participated but also affected.

- No, our Tweet did not affect what McCain/ Obama talked about, but we the viewers followed the Twitter flow with (at least) the same interest as the actual debate. Comments add value - just like on websites and blogs - and I must admit that the feeling is powerful, when my comments appear in the box while the U.S. president’s 44.e talking about… Something I do not really hear…