Tim Hwang, a researcher of online movements and memes and the managing director of the Web Ecology Project, says that Ron Paul illustrates a fact we often overlook: "The Internet is notcoterminous with the real world." He told me by email, "Like in a rearview mirror communities can be smaller than they appear on the Internet: discussion is often subject to parties who are loudest and can rally the most participants to appear online and participate at that specific moment."
This time around, for Paul, the Internet rally seems to have been sound and fury signifying little.Paul's big hopes for Alaska, Idaho and North Dakota were dashed on Super Tuesday, and he has yet to score a victory in a single contest in this election.
This is actually rather similar to the Tea Party strategy from a few years ago. Remember the Tea Party strategy memo that was leaked? Its advice, according to Talking Points Memo:
The memo ... suggests that tea partiers should "pack the hall... spread out" to make their numbers seem more significant, and to "rock-the-boat early in the Rep's presentation...to yell out and challenge the Rep's statements early.... to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda...stand up and shout and sit right back down."
Ron Paul's people simply do the internet version of this, on individual websites and as a whole. They like to seek sites where a smaller group of people comment -- it makes them seem like a larger percent of the user base -- and on the Web as a whole, they proliferate with pro-Paul sites. The online presence of the Ron Paul movement may seem impressive -- but it's really just a roaring mouse.
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