For 2010, Twitter is election night go-to for average Joes
(Read article summary)As agile as the big cable networks have been this election night, political junkies and everyday people swear by Twitter for the latest raw election night data.
Political junkies have always known how to snap up the hottest, raw data on their favorite election night races. But this year, anyone with a good digital eye can play that game. Those who want their data unfiltered, uncensored, and hot-off-the-press are going not to the traditional horse racers on the big media outlets, but to the twitterverse.
Social media played a big role in the 2008 campaign, but for the first time on election night 2010, everyday folks are making use of the microblogging service to track instant election returns on Twitter. Now anyone can do as insiders such as Stonehill College political science professor Peter Ubertaccio do.
For the first time, he says he finds himself watching election returns on Twitter more than on any major media outlets, such as CNN, MSNBC, or CBS.
“It's so much easier for me to get up-to-date news for the exact races I want.... If I want a Massachusetts race where I live I go to that feed on Twitter,” says Mr. Ubertaccio.
