Do Location Based Services Add Value for the Public in Political Campaigns?

This post responds to two readings:  Harbath, Katie. 2010. Trend To Watch In 2012 – The Rise Of Mobile,

http://techpresident.com/blog-entry/trend-watch-2012-%E2%80%93-rise-mobile

Melber, Ari. 2010. techPresident.com. “Year One of Organizing for

America: The Permanent Field Campaign in a Digital Age."

(http://techpresident.com/ofayear1)

Both articles highlight the unique dimensions that mobile devices add to advocacy campaigns, as well as the compelling reasons for the persistence of mobile-based strategies in future political campaigns.  But what exactly will such strategies look like?  And how do mobile-based strategies tie into the broader trends of emerging new media, and the associated implications for its consumers?

Two trends in the new media seem compelling:  (i) ubiquitous access (web mobility) is currently, and significantly, influencing the future of the web, and (ii) real-time technology is ever increasing mobile connectivity and the consumer’s appetite for “instant” news.

In the 2012 Presidential Campaign, however, it will be interesting to see how each political party/candidate uses mobile devices.  Will campaigns try to hyper-personalize news information and help readers contextualize new information?  Or will they simply continue to use mobile devices as a means to disseminate and replicate the same bits of information (i.e. available via other mediums), but just to a larger (and in some ways, select) audience?  Will it be a combination of the two?

In my view, both of these articles focused largely on what mobile campaigns will offer to the campaign at-large, but neglected to offer attention and analysis as to how mobile devices will be useful for the consumer in obtaining political knowledge.  In other words, to what extent have political campaigns considered the consumer’s needs in developing their mobile strategies? 

Are location based services really a trend to watch?  Will these services add value and be useful to consumers during the next political campaign?

The articles do consider how location based services will be useful for campaigns.  For example: “Mobile can even be important for local races as efforts like Facebook places, Foursquare and Gowalla take off because it will offer new methods for candidates to introduce themselves to voters in very specific areas and eventually turn them into supporters and donors.”  But has the same thought gone into why these location based services will be useful and desirable for the public? 

Have campaigns given  enough thought to the barriers surrounding location based news?  What factors will cause the public to want to participate?  The shipment of Smartphones will exceed the shipment of PCs in 2012.  And while this may mean that reading patters and how people see news will change, it does not necessarily drive an increase in location based services.  To be effective, campaigns will need to consider the consumer side of the equation.  Campaigns will have to offer something that consumers (i) want to receive, (iii) that is easily accessible, and (ii) that will incite participation and action.