Facebook screenshot from election night.
On election night I sat in a Thai food restaurant in the East Village stressing over not seeing election results live. I heard Mitt Romney was ahead and complaints about people having difficulty voting. Over my tofu satay, I began planning which country I would move to tomorrow.
The gentleman at this next table overheard our conversation and couldn’t help but laugh at American politics and encouraged me to seriously consider his country of Switzerland as an option if I really do decide to leave.
In 2008, I didn’t have Facebook but tonight I checked it constantly on my phone. I read news and comments from friends and expressed my disbelief that the election was even close.
When I made it home, I excitedly turned on MSNBC and was bored. I almost fell asleep listening to the dry repetitive commentary so I logged on to Facebook and Twitter and the fun began.
I was immediately connected with news sources and friends from around the country and could chime in whenever I felt the need. Maybe I’m just not a TV person and prefer interacting rather than watching.
As with Hurricane Sandy, I found more useful and relevant information on Facebook than from the mainstream media. During the hurricane I knew immediately when power went out in the East Village, information and pictures were shared instantly. Even relief efforts were rapidly organized through social media.
I can’t wait to read all the stories in The New York Times tomorrow but for election night coverage I’d like to thank Facebook and Twitter for being fast, fun and allowing me to state my opinion.
4 responses so far ↓
Vivian // Dec 1st 2012 at 9:09 pm
I am definitely a fan of Twitter too. I like Facebook, but mostly it’s just my friends and it doesn’t give me the same range of information as Twitter does. I followed the election on MSNBC, CNN on my mac, and twitter. It was an amazing array of platforms all covering the same election from different angles.
I agree with you on how immediate and interactive any social media platform is. I found it amazing that once the election was called instead of President Obama waiting to take the stage, he tweeted his thanks to all those who voted and a picture of him with Michelle Obama. It goes to show that even the President understands how connected people are to social media, and that this is probably their first source of information.
Jesse Lee // Dec 5th 2012 at 8:14 pm
I agree with you malynda. Even for sporting events Im always tweeting about it or refreshing my facebook to see what people are saying. Its almost like you’re sitting a crowd of people…without the crowd!
Tofu Satay Sounds DELISH btw!!!
KAYONNE JOHNSON // Dec 18th 2012 at 2:06 pm
It must have been a treat to read those Twitter feeds during the election. No censorship there, I love it! During those times social platforms like Facebook and Twitter are a complete joy!
ra125058 // Dec 19th 2012 at 1:15 am
This is interesting how you bring up the social media, Facebook and Twitter, and find them more useful. As we discussed in the class that social media is becoming more popular in journalism world, I think it is a good sign. Because our lives are getting busier than ever that we do not have such a time to sit in front of the TV to get all news rather just go to a site of the social media to get faster news. Good post.
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