As the focus pans towards big television screens for the first debate of the 2016 presidential elections Monday night, the verdict will not take too long — thanks to social media.
In the first showdown between Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton as the debates kick off, Twitter and Facebook are expected to have a field day, writes Juan Williams for The Hill.
From politicians to celebrities, sportspersons and journalists — everybody will be glued to their mini devices, sending out tweets and posts.
The debate will be held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, but social media platforms are where the real time action will take place, it is believed.
In 2012, President Barack Obama was judged by Twitterati to have lost the first debate against Mitt Romney. While Bill Maher and Alec Baldwin cut down their candidate, Obama, in real time because he seemed too cool, conservatives too did not spare him, writes Williams.
However, in the next two debates, it was Romney's turn to face the consequences as tweets turned against him. Such is the role of social media.
The first Obama-Romney debate set a record with 10.3 million tweets, according to USA Today. It was the most tweeted event in political history, Twitter said.
Tonight's debate is expected to go way above that number with spectators ready to pounce on Trump's antics and controversial statements. Clinton being the first woman on a presidential debate stage will also serve as additional fodder for social media platforms.
It is the initial moments in the debate which are crucial to draw the voter base. Campaigns too have learned from the trends and usually design one-liners for crucial opening minutes and cautiously chalk out what follows to boost the speech, Politico reported.
Trump can easily trigger an online spat by referring to the Democrat nominee as "crooked Hillary" or mentioning her private emails controversy. On the other hand, Clinton can start the fireworks with references to tax evasions and charity funds.
Both Trump and Clinton need to work on various areas. While Trump needs to keep a check on his brash comments about immigrants and Muslims, Clinton has to get her voter base excited about the prospects of having a woman president.
The 90-minute debate between both contenders is expected to not only smash television ratings records, but score high on social media too.