Social Media Erupts on Election Day 2012

As expected, social media is on fire this morning and will continue throughout the day as both President Obama and Governor Romney secure their votes from the American people.  Both candidates have a strong social media presence but it appears the incumbent has a slightly larger lead on Twitter, evidenced by the amount of activity and trending topics that involve Obama and not Romney.

I was speaking with the Washington Post yesterday describing the major role that social media will play on Election Day and it seems to be coming true.  Arguing that President Obama seems to have a stronger social media influence is evidenced today by the fact that 3 out of 10 trending hashtags on Twitter involve President Obama while none represent the Romney / Ryan ticket.  What’s more, President Obama is even running a sponsored and promoted initiative today through Twitter.  This could indicate positive news for the President as Governor Romney has an inferior presence on Twitter today.

An infographic by OpenSite designed to show the impact of social media and the Election indicates that this year, 4 out of 5 adults will gather their election news through the internet.  It furthermore explains that 53 percent of adults will fact-check claims made by both candidates online this year.  The most staggering number is the fact that 40 percent of eligible voters will use social media to help them make their decision this year on who to vote for.  Given these statistics and the current influence of President Obama, he looks to have an advantage.

CNN has one of the better live election maps and is tracking the votes all day as they come in.  NBC News provides a comprehensive 2012 Election Book that includes statistics, battleground map, advertising spending and more.  FOX News also provides a live election map including up to the minute updates from the polls.