From Twitter bombing to war of attrition
This analysis by Topsy Analytics show the volume of tweets using the two most popular hasttags for the various boycott Rush groups, #StopRush and #BoycottRush.
What it shows is that activity peaked from Friday, March 2 – Monday, March 5. There still is activity, but nothing like what was sustained during the initial push:
The usefulness of Twitter bombing of advertisers played out once the low hanging fruit had been picked off.
Now the battle has moved more into a war of attrition, with Media Matters seeking a re-run of the StopBeck movement, slowingly grinding down advertisers one at a time, local radio station by local radio station. We’ve all now heard about Media Matters’ $100,000 ad buy to support local advertiser boycotts, and there are other efforts like what is playing out in Burlington, VT (h/t commenter chilipalmer):
“When Rush said these terrible things we did not get one phone call, one email. They did not hear it. They read about it,” he said about the protest.He said somebody sent an email with a script telling protesters what to say.“Many of them said the exact same words,” he said.As station owner, Goldman said he heard from almost 30 people objecting to Limbaugh’s remarks, but he also got a similar number from those believing in the right of free speech….Goldman said it was clear to him the complainants have not listened to WVMT.“They are not consumers,” he said.
The question is, can Media Matters and other Rush boycott groups sustain the effort this time? Or will the success rate more resemble the Twitter bombing campaign chart?
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