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> If social media is going to be the default communication medium

I don't think this is really true. Most people in the US don't use Twitter. Not to mention that many users are following entertainment based users or aren't fully consuming posts by those they follow.

Twitter is just an additional stream/supplement to town halls, email lists, websites, news coverage, etc.

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Twitter use is near-ubiquitous among journalists, politicians, and those who wield or seek to gain influence. Corporations fire people, companies terminate business deals, and universities expel students based on what gets said on Twitter. News agencies find leads and shape stories using Twitter. Most of what gets said on CNN, NBC, or Fox News is filtered through the lens of writers who use Twitter and care about how Twitter will react. Political fortunes can swing on bad tweets. Most Americans may not use Twitter, but I would say most are still affected by it, whether they know it or not.

> Political fortunes can swing on bad tweets.

> Political fortunes can swing on bad press releases.

> Political fortunes can swing on bad interviews.

> Political fortunes can swing on bad comments at private dinners that become public.

As they should.

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