Tried hosting a speaker event last spring and got a crowd of 12 people

I brought in a journalist to talk about free speech on campus back in March and only 12 people showed up, even though the debate online was huge. I learned that online outrage doesn't always translate to real life attendance, so I'm wondering if anyone else has seen this gap between digital noise and actual campus participation.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_olivia1mo agoMost Upvoted

12 people showing up sounds like a win to me, honestly. If the debate online was huge, maybe those 12 people were the ones who actually cared enough to show up, not just shout from behind a screen.

nancyg141mo ago

and you know what @the_olivia, i really feel that. it's like all that noise online doesn't always translate to real life, but those 12 people? they were serious about being there. i've been to things where hundreds say they're coming and only a handful show, and honestly those are the ones who remember it. it's easy to type support from a couch, way harder to actually get out the door. so yeah, 12 real people beats 1200 online ghosters any day.

the_jamie1mo ago

Yeah but 12 people isn't a movement, it's just a small group chat.