When campaigns were conducted in private, the scrutiny of debate and publicity could be avoided. The town square, the very foundation of American democracy, was incrementally being replaced by online ad networks. And without any scrutiny, campaign messages no longer even had to look like campaign messages. Social media created a new environment where campaigns could now appear, as Obama’s campaign piloted, as if your friend was sending you a message, without your realizing the source or calculated intent of that contact. A campaign could look like a news site, university, or public agency.
