Comments on: The medium or the message? http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/index.php/2008/06/02/the-medium-or-the-message/ Sliding down the banisters of the ivory tower. Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:24:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.1 By: Nicola Karras http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/index.php/2008/06/02/the-medium-or-the-message/#comment-604 Nicola Karras Tue, 03 Jun 2008 19:16:00 +0000 http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/?p=98#comment-604 I'm not claiming that politicians should reject traditional campaign methods for the web! Simply that, when they DO pay attention to the web (as they should and will), they need to do it intelligently. There are two things going on with the politics of the internet. The first is that the techies -- the people who make the whole thing actually work -- are overwhelmingly libertarian. (The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it, etc.) This is an ideological affiliation, but there aren't enough of them to make a huge difference, I don't think. The second, of course, is that the most technologically savvy people tend to be younger, more urban, better educated, and more affluent than average, and that tends to break demographically left. But I don't think it's that the Interwebs appeal to more left-leaning people... I’m not claiming that politicians should reject traditional campaign methods for the web! Simply that, when they DO pay attention to the web (as they should and will), they need to do it intelligently.

There are two things going on with the politics of the internet. The first is that the techies — the people who make the whole thing actually work — are overwhelmingly libertarian. (The internet interprets censorship as damage and routes around it, etc.) This is an ideological affiliation, but there aren’t enough of them to make a huge difference, I don’t think.

The second, of course, is that the most technologically savvy people tend to be younger, more urban, better educated, and more affluent than average, and that tends to break demographically left. But I don’t think it’s that the Interwebs appeal to more left-leaning people…

]]> By: Noah http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/index.php/2008/06/02/the-medium-or-the-message/#comment-601 Noah Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:37:42 +0000 http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/?p=98#comment-601 First, I'll trade you an internet team for a field staff any day of the week and twice on Saturdays. What we've seen in this election is that the web is great for raising money, good for messaging to young people and pretty worthless for the real work of elections: winning votes. Hence Ron Paul. Or put differently, Obama had his best field team in Iowa while Clinton had hers in New Hampshire. Upsets both times. What I really wanted to ask though, is if you buy the thesis that the left and the Paulites run the internet because we are ideologically more aligned with the technology. The conservatives are too authoritarian for it to work. I'm pretty sure I don't, but I really am not in the GOP world enough to know. First, I’ll trade you an internet team for a field staff any day of the week and twice on Saturdays. What we’ve seen in this election is that the web is great for raising money, good for messaging to young people and pretty worthless for the real work of elections: winning votes. Hence Ron Paul.

Or put differently, Obama had his best field team in Iowa while Clinton had hers in New Hampshire. Upsets both times.

What I really wanted to ask though, is if you buy the thesis that the left and the Paulites run the internet because we are ideologically more aligned with the technology. The conservatives are too authoritarian for it to work. I’m pretty sure I don’t, but I really am not in the GOP world enough to know.

]]> By: Nicola Karras http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/index.php/2008/06/02/the-medium-or-the-message/#comment-600 Nicola Karras Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:52:34 +0000 http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/?p=98#comment-600 But Paul would be even MORE nowhere if it weren't for Web 2.0. It's not <i>just</i> a question of viral outreach -- that's where the infrastructure and investment are incredibly important. An online-only campaign would be very silly, but a campaign with no web presence would be hopeless. Web 2.0 is just one aspect of a candidate's media outreach, but it has to be done right. But Paul would be even MORE nowhere if it weren’t for Web 2.0. It’s not just a question of viral outreach — that’s where the infrastructure and investment are incredibly important.

An online-only campaign would be very silly, but a campaign with no web presence would be hopeless. Web 2.0 is just one aspect of a candidate’s media outreach, but it has to be done right.

]]> By: David http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/index.php/2008/06/02/the-medium-or-the-message/#comment-595 David Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:45:29 +0000 http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/?p=98#comment-595 I love Web 2.0 as much as the next Digg/Twitter/Flickr-er, but it seems like the fact that Ron Paul has amassed more YouTube hits than any of the other candidates yet still is getting shit for votes says something about the relative unimportance of Web 2.0, not its importance, no? I love Web 2.0 as much as the next Digg/Twitter/Flickr-er, but it seems like the fact that Ron Paul has amassed more YouTube hits than any of the other candidates yet still is getting shit for votes says something about the relative unimportance of Web 2.0, not its importance, no?

]]> By: Iqra’i: The frozen North has turned me contrarian. http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/index.php/2008/06/02/the-medium-or-the-message/#comment-594 Iqra’i: The frozen North has turned me contrarian. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 02:42:03 +0000 http://www.nazg.com/iqrai/?p=98#comment-594 [...] Iqra’i Sliding down the banisters of the ivory tower. « The medium or the message? [...] [...] Iqra’i Sliding down the banisters of the ivory tower. « The medium or the message? [...]

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