On Social & Society: The 2012 Town Hall Presidential Debate

"Two alpha males" went at it last night in the second presidential debate of the 2012 election year. It was described as "contentious," "feisty," and "surprising." If you watched it, or even heard about it, then you would have to agree with that description. If you haven't gotten wind of what happened, then you must live under a rock. 

This debate was highly social! It was tweeted ad nauseam, and polls, posts, and perspectives abounded. Here is a quick rundown from the Twitter-sphere:

Tweets during Debate - Over 7.2 million

Most tweets per minute - 109 thousand

Key Hashtags - #binder, #debate, #pension

Mentions - Obama: 52%, Romney 48%

Most tweeted issue - Economy (28%)

The jury is out on who has the edge coming out of the Town Hall debate. Obama was generally declared winner, although anything above and beyond his prior performance would've looked amazing. Both men came out fighting, and the sense of urgency was apparent to all.

It is amazing to see how much times have changed, even from the 2008 election to now. I couldn't watch the debate without checking Twitter to see what others were saying. Tweets, polls, and website flew across the bottom of my tv screen the entire 90 minutes. Reporters and moderators are @________, and not just a name. Everyone has an opinion, which is shared, redistributed, mixed, tweaked, agreed with, slammed, and mainly, generally out there for the world to see. And don't get people started on the political Facebook ads, the tv spots, and the water cooler discussions that whip around us like tornadoes. 

The bias of media has become increasingly apparent to me through the rise of social. Platforms are being abused and clumps of viewpoints are seen as the majority because they are the loudest, fastest typers, or most interested in jumping on the hashtag bandwagon. 

I sit here and wonder what elections are anymore. What is the news anymore. What are we saying and doing anymore. Can we tell?

Just some musings that came to my mind post-debate. Elections obviously bring up a passionate side in many of us. It's interesting to see how that passion shines through and what its effects will be. 

Is the 2012 election not just about choosing a president who will govern the next 4 years, but a picture of where we are heading as a culture?