The rise of a new political elite

It used to be that being a big donor, a pundit, an elected official or elder statesman was the way into the political elite. Today, it’s through HTML, javascript and ruby — in other words, computer programming.

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It has been argued that, when it comes to political power, money is king. But the impact of white-hat and black-hat hacktivism is growing, and the language of this new movement is computer code. In this Oct. 15, 2004, photo in Mountain View, Calif., contestants compete in Google’s "CodeJam" — a competition among hard-core computer programmers who vie for cash prizes and possible employment in the high-tech industry.

Ben Margot / AP

One of the leading platforms for online activism is Reddit.com. The site “has transformed into a political sledgehammer of sorts, wielded by programmers and Internet users attempting to change the online debate,” according to Ideas@Innovations blogger, Dominic Basulto. Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian (center) speaks at a Young Entrepreneur Council summit on Nov. 28, 2011.

/ YEC

Former Pennsylvania senator and current GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum knows firsthand how loud the voice of the new political elite can be. Even as Google has grown into a powerful tool for candidates to target their message, Santorum remains the target of a “Google bomb,” following comments he made about the gay community. The comments attracted the attention of popular blogger and gay-rights supporter Dan Savage. Savage, in turn, called on the Web community to retaliate by pushing a link that matched a non-family-friendly definition to Santorum’s name to the top of the Google search results. A concerted effort by activists online has kept this the No. 1 search result since 2003. In this photo, Santorum smiles at an event at the Keene Public Library on Jan. 6, 2012, in Keene, N.H.

Matt Rourke / AP

The SOPA debate has been a bitter one online, with popular Web companies staking their position either for or against — with a “for” position leading to a potentially damaging backlash from the new political elite. In the case of Web hosting and domain-name registrar company GoDaddy.com, the outcry was particularly pointed, with nearly 37,000 domain name registrants leaving the service after the company came out in favor of SOPA. The company, in light of the growing boycott, reversed its position. In this photo, taken Dec. 8, 2009, IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, left, waves to the crowd as she is joined by GoDaddy.com CEO and founder Bob Parsons.

Ross D. Franklin / AP

The Stop Online Piracy Act, or SOPA, has the new political elite roiling and resoundingly against the bill, lashing out at high-profile backers of the bill online. Companies, such as Google and, subsequently, their millions of users, stand to potentially lose access to a trove of proprietary data if the bill is passed. In this photo, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt listens to a question during a roundtable with local business owners in downtown Minneapolis on Nov. 30, 2011. Schmidt said at an earlier appearance Wednesday that it would be a mistake for Congress to approve SOPA because it would be ineffective and could fundamentally alter the way the Internet works.

John Doman / AP

Another politician caught in the crosshairs of the new political elite is Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Ryan became the target of a campaign on Reddit to prevent Ryan from being able to run for re-election in 2012. Ryan’s competitor, Democrat Rob Zerban, credited the campaign with Ryan’s announcement that he would not support the bill. In this photo, Ryan listens as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke (not pictured) speaks at the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget annual conference in Washington, D.C. on June 14, 2011.

Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is another SOPA supporter who has become a victim of an online campaign — in this case, “Operation Graham Cracker.” In a post describing what the campaign is about, Reddit contributor “digitalboy” writes, “[If] we could unseat someone and destroy their career it would have massive repercussions.” In this photo, Graham speaks to reporters after a news conference about his Social Security reform plan at the U.S. Capitol on April 13, 2011 in Washington, D.C.

Jonathan Ernst / Getty Images

The activity of this growing online collective, which frequently sides with the left side of the political aisle, has operated very much in the style of Anonymous and other, popular online hacktivist groups. Similar activity has occurred worldwide, powering in-person protests. In this photo, an activist wears a Guy Fawkes mask from the movie “V for Vendetta” at the Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur on Jan. 1, 2012.

Mohd Rasfan / AFP/Getty Images

The Occupy Wall Street movement grew its roots online, turning into a worldwide gathering with groups still camping in parks across the country. The movement has adopted the Guy Fawkes mask, a frequently used symbol of black-hat hactivist groups. The movement has attracted the attention of the more traditional political power set. In this photo, an Occupy Oakland protester wears a Guy Fawkes mask as he participates in a rally at Oakland City Hall on Dec. 12, 2011, in Oakland, California.

Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

From right, Aaron Black, Haywood Carey and Drew Hornbain look at a map on a laptop in an office space being used by organizers of the Occupy Wall Street movement at 50 Broadway in New York City on Dec. 7, 2011. The movement has gone from occupying the streets of New York to occupying an office, legally taking over donated office space just a few blocks away from Zuccotti Park.

Andrew Burton / Reuters

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