WHO WON THE DEBATE?

Submitted by ub on

Republican Governor Mitt Romney? Democrat President Barack Obama? Believe it or not, it appears that the winner of the first presidential debate may have been Twitter.

According to statistics release by Twitter, it's users sent a record 10.3 million tweets, which represents a new milestone in the revolution of how Americans take part in the political process.

With their iPads and smart phones, millions of people virtually joined the candidates on that Denver debate stage, analyzing every word in real time Twitter.

The stats also reveal that the last Twitter record was set during convention speeches last month, which triggered 52,757 tweets per minute at one point.

By contrast, Twitter use Wednesday night peaked at a staggering 158,690 tweets per minute.

The most-tweeted moment came when soft-spoken moderator Jim Lehrer interrupted Romney as the Republican tried to speak past his time limit.

“Let me mention the other one. Let’s talk — “ Romney began, before Lehrer cut him off.

“Let’s not,” the moderator quipped, sparking an avalanche of tweets.

Instant analysis allowed by Twitter also meant that a winner and loser were declared earlier than ever — further compressing the news cycle.

Join in to that cyber revolution...