This project is headed by Professor James E. Katz, director of Boston University’s Emerging Media Studies Division. We are seeking people who were involved with social media initiatives at any time during  either of President Obama’s election campaigns,  or as a member of his Administration staff.

Our book explores the way social media have been used to give the public a greater voice in national policy at the highest decision-making level, the White House. We are seeking to understand what the expectations and goals have been concerning the use of social media for these purposes, both during the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns, and especially since the election/reelection of President Obama. In particular, we want to understand what plans have been considered, what has actually been put into place for gathering public input via social media, how these plans have been carried out, and with what effect. We are interested in the internal dynamics that may have affected these social media input initiatives as well as first-hand perceptions about their usefulness.

As part of our inquiry, we want to learn about the ways social media have been used by the White House and President Obama to communicate with the public. That is, not only how social media have been used by the public to try to influence and inform the White House, but also how the White House has sought to use social media to influence and inform the public.

We seek informed views about the potential role of social media for citizen input at the White House level and what the longer-term implications are of social media for democratic practices and governance. If you have ever been involved with social media for President Obama’s campaigns or Administration and are willing to participate in an interview (or would like to find out more), please contact Professor James E. Katz’s graduate research assistant Elizabeth Crocker at Lcrocker@bu.edu.