Microsoft’s France hosted another RSLN discussion on the future of the Internet and democracy titled, “Du web en politique: que nous réserve 2012?” on Wednesday, October 16, 2011, in Paris, France. There some of the world’s leading political Internet experts & activists explored and reflected on innovative political web practices, the construction of new public online spaces, and the upcoming 2012 French and U.S. elections.

Fission Strategy’s co-founder Cheryl Contee was a featured keynote speaker at the event, as was Joe Trippi, the “father of the first web campaign in history,” who led a masterclass on how global leaders can impact political participation locally.

Cheryl discussed mass mobilization techniques that can, for example, motivate 200,000 people onto the street via the web. She also elaborated on her experience founding Jack & Jill Politics, targeting the middle-class majority African-American community through new media, and the need for computer-savvy citizens to influence policy decision making. According to Cheryl, new media and the Internet has become a seminal mechanism that people use in order to freely express themselves.

Other speakers included Marko Rakar from Croatia, who talked about using the web to organize protests; Clifford Singer, the creator of MyDavidCameron.com who discussed using viral videos as political weapons; Dino Amenduni, the social media manager for Italian politician Nichi Vendola; and Lionel Tardy, the UMP deputy from Haute-Savoie who gave insight into how the digital age has affected the lives of elected officials.

The status of the Internet as a public space was the topic of the first round table discussion between Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of innovation, research and universities Jean-Louis Missika, Uraguayan game political videogame designer Gonzalo Frasca, French media sociologist Divina Frau-Meigs, and political scientist Frabienne Greffet. The video in French can be found here. The second round table discussion focused on the 2012 French elections and the impact web campaigns may have, with Valerio Motta, Frederic Neau, Manuel Diaz, and Jonathan Bouchet-Petersen. The video in French can be found here.