Twitter: A Conservative Social Media?

The Internet, and Social Media sites have long been dominated by the political Left.  Sites like Reddit are well known for their strong "Progressive" slant, and conservative opinion rarely, if ever, makes it to the front page of Digg.  Twitter could represent a shift in this age old paradigm, and the fledgling site may become the first mainstream Social Media network dominated by Conservatives.

Top Conservatives on Twitter (#tcot) is a group that was founded to unite Conservative Twitter users under a common banner to promote Conservatism, Collaboration, Community, and Constructive Dialogue.  The group has been so successful that it has spawned multiple spinoffs including Top Libertarians on Twitter (#tlot) and #topprog for "Progressive users, but neither has seen the overwhelming participation of #tcot.

The graph above shows the total number of posts per day for #tcot (red) and #topprog (blue).  Where Twitter using Progressives haven't been able to crack the 1000 posts per day mark and average fewer than 500, #tcot averages around 17,000 posts per day.  In fact, trend data  shows conservatives using the #tcot hashtag average more posts per hour than Twitter's Top Progressives are able put forth in a full day.

This shift represents a larger shift among Republican politicians and activists who have traditionally been reluctant to embrace social media--and the internet in general--as a means of furthering their political message.  Though the Obama campaign focused heavily on interactive websites, Conservatives seemed unable to match such efforts.  That makes it even more surprising--and welcome--that many notable Conservative figures have established a presence on the start-up.  While some may point out that none of them have achieved the follower count of their liberal counterparts, it's a welcome step forward, and their message is clearly being amplified by the community.  For once, it's liberals who are struggling to galvanize their base in an online medium.

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