The Blogosphere’s Newspoll ritual.
Newspoll Tuesday has become a bit of an occasion in the Australian blogosphere. The influence of the pseph bloggers, the moments of antagonism between the blogosphere and the Oz last year, the motivation to enter into further fruitful dialogue with Dennis Shanahan, and the urge to take Dr Nelson’s temperature have meant that most of the major blogs will offer some opinion on the latest numbers.
Today’s no exception. The headline news, which even Mr Shanahan has forced himself to read out, is that Nelson’s surge is over for the moment, and that Labor has boosted its support at the Coalition’s expense. Nice takes include Tree of Knowledge’s snarky rhetorical questions and disturbing photoshopping, Kim at LP’s questions about the media’s real influence on public opinion, Andrew Bolt’s call for Dr Nelson’s head, and Tim Dunlop’s scepticism about the whole concept of a “Honeymoon”. Pride of place, as always, goes to the psephos takes - Pollbludger’s discussion thread, Mumble’s spin smackdowns, and Possum’s detailed analysis (including wonky graphics and a Pollytracker update).
Yes, Newspoll Tuesday gives a warm fuzzy feeling of regularity for the blogosphere connoisseur. But it may be more important than that. Even though it’s based on an MSM poll, it might show that the Australian blogosphere is developing it’s own news cycles and temporality. The peculiar trajectory of the development of political blogging here (as well as the features of Australian democracy) mean that, at least once a fortnight, everyone is talking about the same thing.
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It’s good to know I’m not the only one who sees Newspoll as a blogospheric ritual.
You often see it dismissed as shallow or two-horse race politics or blogopopulism. When you think about the ritual performance - get the figures from Mumble on Monday aftertoon, watch Lateline in case Tony Jones is interviewing someone in the Liberal Party, see what Dennis has to say, see what a selection of blogs have to say, check Possum’s graphs and put in your own bob’s worth, it’s almost as elaborate as a Catholic wedding.
Ha ha that’s true Lyn. Though minus the dodgy cummerbunds and lies about everybody being a virgin.
By the way, Lyn, I really like your description of the routine that so many of us go through. It’s interesting to think about the ritual in that way - from the reader’s perspective.
The reader’s and commenter’s perspective is the most interesting thing about the blogosphere for mine. That’s were the life is and where the cultures develop. That’s how you and I know how to take part in the ritual properly.
Indeed. And ritual is precisely what builds and makes us invest in community. Interesting.