Digg founder: tech is changing US election

Technology is changing the way the public sees the presidential candidates
Technology is changing the way the public sees the presidential candidates

Digg founder Kevin Rose has admitted he is hugely excited about the role technology is playing in the US presidential election race - telling TechRadar he can't wait to see how much more important it will be in four years time.

Speaking at the Future of Web Applications (FOWA) conference in London, Rose admitted that he was surprised at how many political stories are making it into the site's most Dugg category - and at just how skewed things currently are towards Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

"I look at the front page and it's wall to wall politics," said Rose. "There are stories there that I wouldn't read."

Filtering down


"I think you are right - the stories do seem to be favouring Obama. There are a lot of stories and top 10s right now that are anti-McCain and anti-Palin.

"But if you filter the comments... you can see that there are a whole lot of Republicans in there as well voting the pro-Obama comments down.

"Isn't it fascinating just how much technology is being used this time around? I mean four years ago there was virtually no use of technology and now...

"And it seems that it's the Obama camp using it the most. The [Obama] iPhone app is very good."

Patrick Goss

Patrick Goss is the ex-Editor in Chief of TechRadar. Patrick was a passionate and experienced journalist, and he has been lucky enough to work on some of the finest online properties on the planet, building audiences everywhere and establishing himself at the forefront of digital content.  After a long stint as the boss at TechRadar, Patrick has now moved on to a role with Apple, where he is the Managing Editor for the App Store in the UK.