Article snippet: A century ago, electronic amplification enabled political figures to adopt a more relaxed speaking style; they no longer had to yell to be heard in the back row. Then came television. Of course, the biggest technological change has been the Internet, which helped propel Barack Obama into the White House in 2008. Yet now we see that the Internet is creating a new kind of media, and thus a new kind of media-shaped politician. If the past is any guide, those who master the newest media will soon enough be the victors. On December 10, The Washington Post offered an interesting headline: “Town hall? 120 people. Numbers such as these get the attention of politicos, and political consultants, and so they are compelling to anyone interested in politics. Streaming video enables candidates to create, in effect, a specific brand, and to attach that brand to specific destinations on the web. That is, in setting up events on their social-media pages, politicos can communicate with as many people as might be interested in clicking in to watch them. If we step back, we can consider how appealing this opportunity must be to candidates. At the same time, the potential audience also has it easier. To be sure, the potential of digital politics has been evident for a couple of decades now, and yet still, most people have chosen to “consume” politics in more familiar ways. What’s changed in the last year or so is two-fold: First, the candidates are more aware of the value ... Link to the full article to read more