DNC’s Twitter Victory Wasn’t Won on a Level Playing Field

Michelle Obama’s ability to inspire nearly twice as many tweets per minute as Republican nominee Mitt Romney during her Democratic National Convention speech may have been due to more than being “personal and real.” The first lady had a home turf advantage.

Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans or independents to say social networking sites are important to them, according to a study released by the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Nearly 50 percent of Democratic social media users told researchers that social sites are important for “keeping up with political news” compared to about 34 percent of Republicans. About 35 percent of Democrats said the sites were important for “recruiting people to get involved with political issues,” “finding other people who share your views,” and “debating or discussing political issues” compared to about 25 percent of Republicans.