Hashtag fail and a rise in social media in the election
By Nelson Daily Editor
For some it sounded like a foiled attempt to hot knife, but for others it was a nod to the growing political clout of social media.
The term “hashtag fail” used by Jack Layton in the federal leaders’ debate Tuesday night was a Twitter term, used to describe a Twitter conversation (such as #db8 or #elxn41).
The debate drew a record audience, according to Trevor May, creator of Politwitter.ca.
In a three-hour period there were 42,500 election-related posts — about two-and-a-half times the average number of tweets per day during the current campaign.
