Chief Technology and Innovation Officer from President Obama’s 2012 Campaign Discusses Technology and Politics

January 30, 2013

Chief Technology and Innovation Officer from President Obama’s 2012 Campaign Discusses Technology and Politics

On January 28, 170 college students and political bloggers came to the @america cultural center in Jakarta to join a discussion on the 2012 U.S. presidential elections and the role of technology in U.S. elections.  Michael Slaby, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for Obama for America, participated in the event via Skype.  Mr. Slaby discussed how the Obama campaign harnessed technology to empower campaign workers and supporters.  Slaby's successful use of social media to organize collective action on the ground inspired the audience, who study politics and communications.  Indonesian reporters Dwi Anggia from TVONE and Jerome Wirawan from Media Indonesia also spoke at the event and shared their experiences covering the 2012 U.S. presidential elections from America.  Both participated in special U.S. State Department-funded reporting tours to the United States for the 2012 elections.