What did the campaign to make Rage Against the Machine the UK Christmas No 1 really prove? It proved that a relatively small number of socially motivated people can cause a trickle to turn into a torrent.

Obama’s election owes no small debt to the local political activists who got a disaffected populous engaged with national policy through social media. More than engage them they got them to actively take part in it.

This isn’t news to the not-for-profits who quickly worked out social media is a great way to not only ask for money but to recruit volunteers, create jobs in the the poorest communities in the world and turn casual supporters into activists.

Ben Rattray, the founder and CEO of Change.org, an online media network for social change, in a recent article written for Mashable, explained how the seeds of social good are producing real opportunities that will surely lead to more social change.

Influencing the Christmas No 1 in the UK can seem relatively rebellious, and this old puck rocker loved the chance to stick it to the powers of pop music. It was poking the lion through the bars of the cage, blowing a raspberry to a Politician. But no one was under the illusion it would mean the downfall of Pop Idol or Simon Cowell. It was a case of “Yes we can do this, we can change something.”

In America, Change.org has used social media effectively and motivated their members to real action. As a result, members have won more than a dozen grassroots campaigns – from convincing the US Department of Labor to release a confidential report on slave labor, to helping end the food industry’s deceptive nutrition labeling program, to compelling Live Nation to cancel a series of homophobic concerts.

The UK hasn’t seen this extent of social activism yet but it is surely to come, especially with a General Election just months away.