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# Is 2012 the Year of Twitter? Join IVN for a Tweet Chat on the Topic
- URL: https://ivn.us/tweet-chat-a-closer-look-at-twitter-in-2012/
- Published: 2012-12-04T02:03:40.000Z
- Updated: 2026-06-22T19:36:56.000Z
- Author: Jane Susskind
- Tags: News

As the second largest social network in the world, Twitter has transformed the way we interact on and offline. As the year comes to a close, we want to take a closer look at how the social network has impacted 2012\. What better way to discuss the topic than by holding a tweet chat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E\_tpGWs7Rrc

Twitter not only responded to the current events of 2012, but shaped them. As a year of "firsts," 2012 marks the beginning of a new digital era for journalists, politicians, public figures, voters, athletes, artists, and users worldwide.

This year was the first time a presidential debate was followed on Twitter, marking the beginning of a live fact checking phenomena. In 2012, millions of Americans participated in the [most tweeted about event](https://ivn.us/infographics/2012/11/08/presidential-election-and-social-media/) in history: our Presidential election.

The year 2012 is also the first year in which professional athletes were [disqualified](https://ivn.us/social-ballot/2012/07/30/calling-all-olympic-athletes-think-before-you-tweet/) from the Olympic Games because of a tweet. It marks the first time Twitter was used as a primary source for information in the days following a natural disaster. Twitter created a space for open communication in the Middle East; not only facilitating protests, but providing the platform to [live-tweet](https://ivn.us/2012/11/16/in-israel-and-gaza-conflict-twitter-is-a-key-player/) a war. In fact, the Israel Defense Force and Hamas both live-tweeted the most recent conflict.

By the numbers, the impact of Twitter is undeniable.

- The most retweeted photo in history was tweeted by President Obama on November 6, 2012: 785,000.
- 90% of Senators & House members, 42 Governors & 35 world leaders have Twitter accounts.
- People sent more than 20 million tweets about Hurricane Sandy between October 27 and November 1st. That's 7 million more tweets than were sent during the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Combined.
- Since 2011, the number of users on Twitter has more than doubled, rising from 200 million to over 500 million Twitter users.
- With over 31 million tweets, the 2012 election was the most tweeted about event in U.S. politics, peaking at 327,000 tweets per minute.

#### Join IVN as we take a look back on Twitter in 2012 and the year of “firsts” this Thursday.

###### What: "A Closer Look at Twitter in 2012"

###### When: Thursday, December 6, 5pm Pacific/8pm Eastern

###### Where: Tweetchat.com

###### Hashtag: **#indyvote**