New media – so what?

By David Chaplin

Did President Obama win the US election using the internet? Has Sarah Brown saved Gordon’s skin because of her twitter popularity? Is the internet really the future of politics?

Most political pundits and many activists and campaigners talk about the internet as if it’s going to save the Labour Party from defeat, as if somehow people will read a blog or a tweet and rush to the ballot box to vote Labour. It won’t.

But access to the internet and using it as a tool to mobilise people around a cause can make a difference and turn the heads of busy politicians as well as show that Labour is relevant to people’s everyday concerns.

For young people especially, the internet is a vital campaign tool to get their views across and join a debate about society which they might usually be excluded from. New media and new technologies are changing the way politicians talk to their voters, but also the way voters talk to politicians – whether their local MP or the Prime Minister’s wife.

The growth of new media also means Government has to do more to harness the economic as well as social impacts of the internet and digital communications. Focussing on creative industries, infrastructure and digital inclusion will ensure that everyone has access to the internet as a tool to share their views and become empowered. This is a challenge to Labour. As the party which supports the many not the few, we should be proud to campaign on digital inclusion and support the growth of new and vibrate internet activism.

This month’s edition of Anticipations – the Young Fabians magazine – is dedicated to discussing this challenge and it asks: can the internet change politics?

We’ve placed the whole edition online for the first time, making it free to non-members to read and enjoy.

In the magazine, we start a debate about the future of the internet for political parties and activists. The challenges highlighted by the magazine’s contributors, including Sarah Brown, Jessica Asato, LabourList‘s own Alex Smith and MP turned blogger Tom Harris, are all part of the discussion about what we use the internet for and how Labour supporters can get their voice heard amongst all the other noise online.

Have a look at this exclusively free edition of Anticipations by visiting the Young Fabian website.