The Role of Tech Companies in Presidential Debates
Social media is playing an important role in the presidential debates this election season. Social media is really the way that these debate’s winners are decided.
We already can’t live without our social media apps, but we bet you didn’t know how important social media is becoming in the presidential race of 2016.
Presidential debates are always heated. Candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have had several televised pre-debates and one official debate already, and will have several more before the November election. Viewers are watching these debates in record numbers. In one of the debate events hosted by Matt Lauer — an event called the “Commander in Chief Forum” — more than fifteen million viewers tuned in.
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For those viewers who don’t tune in on the night of the event, social media channels play a big role in keeping voters informed. Video footage of the candidates — usually shortened into quick videos or shared as photo memes — is particularly important this year. On social media, people are sharing clips from the debates in greater and greater numbers.
Social media is shaping the debates, as well. As users share their thoughts and questions for presidential candidates on Facebook, Snapchat, and Google, these channels are sharing these ideas and concerns with the debates’ moderators.
For example, during the first debate on September 26, 2016, users shared their thoughts with NBC News via Facebook and Google. The moderator, Lester Holt, then took into consideration trending search topics, likes, and re-posts to figure out which issues were most important to voters in the election. Facebook Live also plays a role in the debates. If you sign into Facebook during the presidential elections, you’ll be able to watch real-time video and tune into an interactive screen that displays ongoing conversations and trending topics in the debate.
Snapchat is also getting into the action by covering each debate as a “live story.” These live stories let users see different perspectives from students, volunteers, and others in a narrative format. The next two debates are on Sunday, October 9, and Wednesday, October 19. How will you use social media to interact with the candidates?
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