Along with Donald Trump, there is one more winner in the presidential elections, and it is Twitter. More than 35 million election-related tweets had coursed through the micro-blogging site by 9 p.m. Eastern, breaking the record of more than 31 million tweets set on Election Day 2012, reports USA Today.
Twitter’s hard work pays off
Twitter, with its stagnant user growth and 317 million users, is frequently seen as lagging behind Facebook, photo-sharing app Instagram and even Snapchat. However, that was not the case on Election Day. The social network gave users even more reason to vote this election year and then go to its platform using live video streams with partners like BuzzFeed, notes USA Today.
It gave rise to the most popular memes of the election as well, like the photo of Trump peaking at his wife Melania’s ballot while she voted. So it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Trump inadvertently played a big role in Twitter’s win.
On Tuesday, the first signs of presidential chatter began stirring at around 5 a.m. on the East Coast. Trump’s hundred or so staff members working on the Election Day efforts began dialing advocacy groups and super PACs to place last-minute ads in swing states, notes The New York Times. Around 27,000 election-related posts were swirling across the platform every minute by 11 a.m.
Ben Thompson, founder of Stratechery, a technology industry analysis site, said, “For all of its flaws and the badness of the product itself, this election has proven Twitter is vital.”
Election highlights the difference between Twitter and Facebook
For U.S. voters, social media is a popular destination on election night. They use their smartphones, tablets or laptops to spend the evening with election-obsessed followers and friends around the U.S. Facebook is the destination where many people seek camaraderie and support from friends, but Twitter is often the place where people search for the latest commentary and information, says USA Today.
Jan Dawson, chief analyst with Jackdaw Research, said, “It comes down to the fact that Twitter is still the platform for what’s happening right now, while Facebook focuses on showing users the things they’re most likely to engage with, which may or may not be the most recent content.”
Also Dawson noted that Twitter users have control over what they see on the micro-blogging site.
“On Facebook you’re mostly seeing content your own friends have shared, whereas on Twitter you can see anything from anyone.”