Barack Obama didn’t just tell the world that he is going to announce his veep pick via text. He Twittered it.

Incorporating new technology into the campaign trail is not a new concept. Sure, today’s text is may be the telegraph of yesteryear, but the Twitter/text transformation is also about recognizing a fundamental shift in how our society communicates.

Of course, the timing of the announcement will still be strategic. The turn-of-phrase in the carefully crafted text will undoubtedly  ooze with hope and optimism and all that stuff the Obama campaign is made of. The press will be ready to file their own stories based on tips and embargoed materials the second the campaign clicks ’send.’  But in this case, it’s the medium that defines the message.

As a serial texter (I recently had to upgrade my calling plan to unlimited texts), I can safely say that the rise of texting says a lot about the way our culture—youth culture in particular—communicates. Whether it’s a status update (”Meet me at the quad in 5″), a non sequitur overheard on the subway or flirty banter with that cute guy you met at the party last weekend, texting is easy, efficient, and, most importantly, it frees the sender of the commitment and formality of a full phone call. It’s casual and cool without trying too hard—the exact image that someone courting the cutting-edge college crowd might want to project.

Perhaps more significantly, the campaign is cutting out the traditional media middlemen, delivering one of the most closely watched and debated strategic developments of the month directly into the SMS inbox of the more than 34 million Americans for whom texting has become the norm.

Obama fans will praise the decision as yet another break from the “same old politics”: Instead of talking at or even to his audience, they’ll say, Obama is engaging the public in conversation in their language and on their terms. And they’ve got a point. Pols and pundits may dominate the political debate on the national stage, but everyday Americans don’t have the time (or, quite frankly, the interest) to tune in 24-7 to cable networks or compulsively refresh the browser on their news site of choice for the latest speculation on who’s surviving the short-list cuts. By signing up for the texts, you no longer have to seek out the news. Your news seeks you out.

The text experiment could also capitalize on the potential of mobilizing supporters (particularly young people)  through peer-to-peer communication. News is, and always has been, a commodity to collect and trade. Technology makes that process simpler, and our hyper driven and sensory overloaded society has given way to a generation of young people salivating to be the the first to know the next big news. You can bet that the second that text is sent, Obama will have an army of cell phone-bearing supporters firing out the news to their own social networks.

The plan isn’t without flaws. Hyping up a text can come off as juvenile and shallow to the plenty of Americans who don’t have the interest (or money) to engage in cell-enabled chats (or backfire with the co-eds appalled at the mere suggestion of anyone over 40 tapping away at T9). And GOP strategists are sure to belittle the move as more proof that Obama’s nothing more than a celebrity politician with a bag of self-promoting tricks. When I asked a friend and McCain loyalist what he thought of the announcement, he responded with a laugh: “It’s a cute gimmick.” Many media reports, including the Weekly Standard blog, have also smartly pointed out that baiting text-happy fans with promise of breaking news sure is a good way to collection user data to bolster O’s already bulging fund-raising rolodex.

But even if the text trial flops, the decision succeeded in generating buzz — especially on the coattails of last week’s campaign news cycle,  in which several outlets published  stories questioning whether McCain’s demonstrated disconnect with all things electronic will hurt him come November.

Twittering the world that he plans to text his veep choice perfectly plays into the meta narrative the MSM has faithfully vowed to follow in the final months of the campaign: the “old wrinkly white guy” with experience and insight to lead versus the fresh-faced idealist promising a different kind of politics. Obama isn’t shying from his youth—he’s using it as a vehicle to expand his reach, taking his opponents’ attacks and rebranding them as a resume builder.

Whether you think it’s a stunt or an act of genius. you have to give Obama credit for cashing in on the time-tested selling appeal of the element of surprise. With the Twitter promising to release the mass text anytime between now and the August 25 convention kickoff, you can be sure that every buzz and jingle will send Obamamaniacs everywhere  frantically reaching for their cell.

For those readers who don’t have text plans that allow for volunteering to have your inbox saturated with campaign PR and fundraising pleas while awaiting the announcement, we’ll be standing by to let you know when the news breaks. One piece of advice for the staffers drafting the decision: pass on the emoticons.