Mobile Technology’s Impact on Political Campaigns in the U.S. and Around the World

Mobile technology is playing an increasing role in U.S. politics. A 2010 study from the Pew Research Center found that 26 percent of Americans used their cell phones to learn about or participate in the 2010 mid-term elections. In the four years since the Obama campaign revolutionized the use of text messaging in politics, how has the connection between mobile technology and voter outreach changed in the United States and other countries around the world? How are mobile applications and geotargeting of ads affecting the political process? How has mobile technology influenced political reporting? And how are these advancements being used in elections internationally?

On February 14, the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings hosted a forum as part of the mobile economy project examining how mobile technology is being used to engage voters, raise money, deliver candidate messages, and help reporters cover campaigns, both in the United States and around the globe. The discussion focused on the impact of mobile outreach on political fundraising, persuasion, outreach, and reporting in the United States and other countries around the world. Moderated by Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies, a panel of experts shared their views and recent research on the ways mobile technology is reshaping the modern political campaign. West also released a paper, M-Campaigning: Mobile Technology and Public Outreach.

After the program, panelists took questions from the audience. Participants followed the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #TechCTI.