There's a bit over at TechCrunch about the distorted view of political trends one can get from social media.
Point-missing... excuse me, multiply-point-missing statement:
The same psychological tendencies that scare many Republicans away from social change also affect their willingness to try out new communication tools.
Excuse, please. A few things to note:
- Conflating "conservative" with "Republican" is wildly inaccurate.
- The people being pigeonholed interchangeably as conservative or Republican are perhaps less likely to spout off about politics on Facebook, Twitter, and such because they tend to have have (a) jobs, (b) actual social lives, and (c) lives outside of politics.
- Those who are more widely informed on social issues (as in: are even aware that there's more than one actual position on an issue), and hold views more nuanced than the simple "Four legs good, two legs baaaad!", are less likely to pick fights by proclaiming inflammatory positions in public fora. Note also that the formats of Facebook and Twitter are not in the least suited to the expression of nuanced views.
- Before you go claiming that Republicans are scared of social change, 'twere best to note how Democrats are trying to lock society into a static model that forever protects the interests of various buggy-whip makers... and how they use scare tactics, on dang near every issue, claiming that "the nasty scary Republicans want to take away your _____!!1!"
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