The tragic shooting in Aurora, Colo. led to a sudden burst of online conversation about gun control last month — but that chatter is returning to normal levels despite another attack on a Sikh temple in Wisconsin over the weekend.
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Interestingly, bloggers (above, orange) have been among the social media users most actively discussing gun control, yet there have been few online news reports (above, yellow) on the topic. Perhaps bloggers are in this case living up to their reputation as an alternative to the so-called mainstream media, using their online platform to have a conversation not being held in traditional media forms.

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Regardless, attempts by Bloomberg and a few others to focus national attention on gun control just haven’t resonated online. Other campaign issues, including the economy and health care, have continued to dominate the social conversation around politics: