A Chorus of Ones

Obama relied on social networking technology to win a stunning victory over his Democratic and Republican opponents. Now he's using it to govern prematurely as the president-elect. On the weekend he used the Web to spread the message of his infrastructure plan to rescue the U.S. economy. With the emphasis on interactive technological solutions, Obama may be remaking the bond between Americans and their president. This kind of short-term action will help to strengthen the constituency for dramatic change, even in the face of economic instability that is unprecedented in the lifespan of a couple of generations. Rapid-fire measures, conveyed directly in real time, will certainly revolutionize communications between the governors and the governed. In time, it may even produce valuable momentum on the path to a resurgent economy. No doubt it will also excite expectations that technlogy can be relied on to do the heavy lifting instead of expending the human capital that has always been required to move the mountains. That is not an adequate lesson for the long term. We North Americans have come to believe that somebody or something else will pick up the tab for our extravagance. What other message can the people of developing countries be getting when we persist in the lifestyle that created our current mess and expect them to ride bicycles? We need to devise solutions that work because they are facilitated by technology. But we cannot duck the onus for change. It is on each one of us.