techPresident - Social Network Analysis of 2008: Is America Polarized or Just Really Impressionable? - Comments

I don't think we disagree

Micah L. Sifry — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:42:30 -0500

Valdis--

Great to hear from you. As you know, I am a big fan of your work.

I don't think we disagree. I am not saying that activists should pay such close attention to the mainstream media, but that it appears they do because they believe the media is the one institution that can have meta-effects on local conversations. Or rather, its output is the one most visible aspect of the millions of micro-conversations that people are actually having around the election--and activists are attracted to the high-intensity conversations generated by news reporting as opposed to the long tail of water-cooler conversation that most people actually pay attention to.

It may very well be that your mantra is right: "it's the close conversations" that matter most in affecting individual voting decisions, far more than whatever frames the MSM attempts to place over the course of the election.

national network vs. local network

orgnet — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:22:40 -0500

Micah, thanks for the post, the links, and the nice feedback. Yet, I think we disagree on this one point...

"Um, I think this is why so many activists play such close attention to the power of the mainstream media, as it is still the primary network that "binds" us together around elections."

I really don't care what is happening in the national network, but I do care what my local social network is thinking. If I were to ever vote for American Idol, I don't care what the rest of Ohio or the nation are doing. I do care what the people in my family room are thinking or those on-line at the moment who are discussing this vote with me. In other words, "friends & family" matter in my vote, but strangers don't. Same holds true for government elections.

I stick by my 2004 political mantra -- "it's the conversations, stupid"... but update it to be more precise: it's the [close]conversations, stupid. "close" can be physical or emotional or social distance... the biggest affect is when all 3 are combined.

Social Network Analysis of 2008: Is America Polarized or Just Really Impressionable?

Micah L. Sifry — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 10:38:51 -0500

Buyers of political books on Amazon are clearly divided between people who favor liberal titles vs people who favor conservative titles, with little cross-buying occurring. But a new study of consumer behavior suggests that so-called "influentials" may not matter as much as everyone thinks, and the malleability and gullibility of voters who are easily influenced by others is the more important factor.