The Bottom-up Net Society

Bambi Francisco blogs about the bottom-up Net society and points to Socialtext and others as an example of social software while discussing the bottom-up movement we all know so well:

Just as storylines evolve based on the interactions of the people that make up reality TV, the Internet is a channel where ideas, processes, political agendas, or Web sites are less scripted, presented and disseminated in a top-down format, but rather discovered and given merit in a real-time show of virtual hands...

"People are finding that they can self-organize," said Mark Pincus, founder of Tribe Networks, a San-Francisco based start-up focused on bringing people together to, among other things, form so called tribes around particular interests.

This is particularly useful in political campaigns, said Pincus, who calls the bubbling up of ideas on the Net, "The Revolution of the Ants."...

"The Net is ideally suited for a grassroots movement," said Pincus. "That's what our generation wants -- a voice."

Mark Pincus further elaborates on his blog how Tribe was used for political self-organization to support the Green Candidate for Mayor in SF and how he felt personally empowered:

The difference was that it was the first election i've ever voted in where i actually felt like i was making a conscious choice for something i wanted and had a voice in, rather than a depressing and pointless process of rubber stamping some big machine candidate who we all know represents the guys who paid for the TV which convinced us all that this was the only guy who could win anyway.

Mark believes the process is the platform and wants to form an eParty. While I disagree with the politics of supporting a 3rd party candidate without due cause and believe momentum makes movements (Dean), this is another great case study of emergent democracy activating the lost constituency by making politics participatory.

Comments

[Mark White]

But Ross, weren't the SF Greens the second party in the race? That must be "due cause"!

PS the Mayor's race got media even here in Australia thanks to the huge vote the Greens got..

[Ross Mayfield]

Mark, the problem over hear is that the Greens, whose platform I am largely in favor, put Bush in office. Third parties are largely about issues that are not addressed appropriately by others and later co-opted by them. They help key issues become mainstream. But today is tantamount to crisis that calls for realism for sake of our dear issues. A first major Green Mayor would divide the opposition at its core. Even Nadar says if he runs again he won't run Green.

[Mark White]

And here I am thinking it was Gore losing Tennessee, hiding Clinton, the stacked Supreme Court and Jeb's shennanigans in Fla that put Bush in office! :-)

I don't disagree with you analysis of the role of the third party, and the USA's first past the post voting system is indeed a different kettle of mush...but the Green Monster is a myth perpetuated by a Democratic Party that for the most part offers no essential difference to the republican agenda