Presidential candidate Barack Obama has announced supporters that are signed up to his email service will be the "first to know" who he chooses as his running-mate.

David Plouffe, Obama’s campaign manager told supporters in an email that they would be the first to hear news of Obama’s running mate.

"Barack Obama is about to make one of the most important decisions of this campaign - choosing a running mate. You have helped build this movement from the bottom up, and Barack wants you to be the first to know his choice."

The Internet has already played a huge role in Obama’s campaign. A recent report from Pew Research Centre For The People and The Press showed that 46 percent of all Americans have used the Internet as a source for political news and to share their opinions and views about the presidential elections, compared to 31 percent of Americans in 2004.

While overall research showed that people were more open to the Internet when it came to the presidential campaigns than with previous elections, the study found that Obama supporters were more likely to garner political information on the web than those who were behind Hillary Clinton and that the number of Obama supporters using the web outnumbered McCain’s internet-savvy supporters.

Research also concluded that of the young people surveyed, most were planning to vote for Obama. Obama’s popularity among younger generations is often attributed to his online presence and the likes of Obama Girl, a viral video campaign started by one enthusiastic young supporter.