Media & Debates

Key Players

Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey

Computer programmer and entrepreneur, Jack Dorsey is best known as the creator of Twitter. With the first tweet in 2006, Twitter immediately became a powerful platform in the 2008 U.S. Presidential election, providing a medium for each candidate to update supporters while campaigning. Twitter created a live, real-time, “Election 2008” central hub that tracked all popular political issues and commentary being discussed across Twitter during the 2008 election. As Twitter has become more popular, nearly all elected officials and political figures have Twitter accounts to share updates, statements, and communicate with constituents. In 2011, President Obama held the first “Twitter Town Hall” where he answered questions from across the country with the hash tag “#askobama”. However, Twitter is also a potential hazard for political figures, and has been the source of many political scandals featuring politicians crossing the line between personal and professional social media activity. With nearly 100 million users, tweeting has become a critical tool for political candidates, allowing them to reach voters, share data, express views, and be a part of the 24-hour news cycle.

Video: President Obama Tweets From The White House