UnSpun

The GOP Hearts Twitter

I read today on CNN.com that the GOP has had much success lately through the Twitter platform.  Considering that social media is usually the realm of liberal, this was surprising to me.  It’s not as simple as a greater technological capacity, since conservatives are lagging behind in other areas like blogs, which makes me wonder what it is about Twitter that works for them.  I personally am not a huge fan of Twitter for my own personal use because it take the thing I hate most about Facebook (status updates) and creates a whole platform around it.  However, this might just be why Twitter is successful for Republicans.  The short, but unlimited in quantity, tweets are the perfect vehicle for the upset underdog.

It’s commonly understood that those who have negative reactions are more likely to make the effort to comment or post reviews online.  I think it might be the same way with Twitter.  Conservatives have a lot to be upset about right now, what with having their power taken away and all, and I think it’s an easy fit to channel this into tweets.  The liberals who are in power are still struggling to get things done, but I think they lack the urgency of the conservatives, who are grasping at what chances for power they can find.  Twitter does not require substance or reason, just a steady stream of 140 character thoughts and an audience.  I think that negative thoughts may be more prevalent than positive ones, similar to reviews.  When you’re angry and feel your power slipping away, maybe you’ve just got more 140 character outbursts in you.  It will be interesting to see how power ebbs and flows.  I’m inclined to believe that long-form arguments and reasoning (the strategy of Obama) will maintain stronger support than conservative tweets, but then again, I’m a liberal.