It was a harbinger.

Call your friends and let them know what happened yesterday.

A harbinger pierced the belly of congress yesterday like Ahab’s harpoon pierced the belly of the great white whale. Congress will not die, however, but it will have been abruptly awakened  from a deep sleep. Both Google and Wikipedia shut down yesterday to protest the passage of congressional legislation that in their opinion would have dampened free speech on the Internet. 

It was a harbinger, by any other name. If you visited Wikipedia and  inserted your zip code, then you had the opportunity to submit your objection to the legislation. Thousands of people did and in 24 hours the legislation went from passing to failed. A few TV stations covered it last night in rudimentary fashion.

It was a double edged harpoon. It caught people’s attention because their favorite websites were temporarily redacted.  The second edge was the ease at which you could voice your objection directly at your own congressional legislation. 

Two large take aways. Websites with high visitor traffic have tremendous power. What if Apple  shut down iTunes because of legislation that restricted iTunes in some fashion? I love iTunes. I would click on the objection button and my congressman would receive an electronic communication from me expressing my dissatisfaction.

And the even more powerful takeaway - it worked. It signaled the ratification of a new way to influence congress. Software allows your zip code to be matched with your congressman’s email address, then a simple click expresses your opinion. Apathy could be replaced by active participation in politics. 

Do not be fooled. What happened yesterday is a harbinger of a substantive game changer for politicians.
 

And it’s about time.