The significance of the riots in Dublin may be less to do with politics, than with the media and the capacity of what Indymedia calls flashmob coverage to drill into detail in a way that the mainstream cannot do on their own. Blogs may have just discovered their capacity in time for the run into general election in the Republic. But expect the more progressive and forward looking end of the mainstream to have learned some lessons from this too. Indymedia in particular saw a massive surge in its readership to over 20,000 on the day. Check out their video of the start of the riot.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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