Politics is always a good place to look to see the impact of technology on communications, and this presidential campaign is shaping up to be a doozy, with both major parties investing heavily in new ways of connecting with voters. The Republicans have been using Twitter to get their message out about the value of offshore drilling; the counterattack came yesterday via what some have called a "twitter bomb." Interesting, but in this case I look at this particular example as merely practice.
The opportunity, of course, if the way to mobilize/engage to action in new ways. Right now, it certainly appears from the rhetoric that what's happening instead is that old foes have simply found new ways to sling poop at each other. Not very attractive.