Here’s How Social Media Reacted During the Democratic Debate

Internet users had a lot to say Thursday during the Democratic debate—with mixed results, according to data from social media networks and search engines.

While candidates Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton duked it out on stage, viewers participated online, searching the candidates or mentioning them in posts on social media. Data from Google showed Sanders leading Clinton in number of searches, while Clinton led the conversation on Twitter.

Data from Twitter showed mentions of Clinton taking up 56% of the conversation on the platform during the fifth Democratic debate. Google searches, however, for Sanders were higher both around the country and in New Hampshire, according to Google Trends.

Times where Sanders and Clinton went back and forth over regulating Wall Street were the most popular individual moments of the debate with Twitter users.

https://twitter.com/gov/status/695459828806725638

Data from social media, especially Twitter mentions proved valuable in predicting the results of the Iowa Caucus, where Clinton ultimately won in a close contest.