January 30th, 2008
YouTube view-Ron Paul voting result gap tells me some of his fans are people-phobic
The chart on the left of this canvass represents CNN’s just-about-final results of yesterday’s 2008 Republican Presidential primary results in Florida
On the right is the latest tally of YouTube views from various candidate sites, both Republicans and Democrats. This is from the website Tech President.
So what gives with Rep. Paul’s more thn 12 million YouTube views, but his failure to garner more than 3% or 4% of the cumulative primary vote in just about any state so far?
Some of this guy’s supporters may be complaining the gap is because the “corporate media” won’t cover him. But as a member of the media, I’ll tell you it’s far, far more about YouTube, its effectiveness, and its core audience.
Parsing these two sets of numbers, I have to believe that an echo chamber is in effect here. YT users who are Ron Paul fans are more involved with repeatedly watching these simpatico videos and are far less skilled at say, Sen. Obama is at spreading the word about their hero beyond the online world and to the great mass of actual, physical-world voters who go to the voting booth.
Just like it was postulated last Presidential cycle that Howard Dean’s acolytes were too countercultural looking to register with voters in the real as opposed to virtual world, it could be that Paul’s fans are hindered by some of the same obstacles.
I mean, I have known more than a few Libertarian-oriented techs who would rather code, play cool games in their den while reading Ayn Rand rather than be involved with actual pressing the flesh exercises at events not already full of Paul supporters to begin with.
OK, then, Ron Paul fans. Back to your gamer caves (but of course if your gamer cave is in a home facing foreclosure, Libertarians like Ron won’t help you then, now would they.
Russell Shaw is an enterprise computing journalist, analyst and author based in Portland, Oregon. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
