The Fiscal Cliff Is Depressing Twitter Users
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Twitter users are getting emotional over the fiscal cliff.
About two-thirds of tweets posted about the fiscal cliff express fear, sadness or anger, according to research by Hootsuite, a social media management company.
Hootsuite, which has been monitoring Twitter activity regarding the looming fiscal crisis during December, also reveals in its research that tweets about "tax increases" mostly reflect sadness or grief and postings about "spending cuts" mostly express fear and uneasiness.
As for Twitter users talking about the "federal deficit," the sentiment is overwhelmingly one of sadness. In fact, 86 percent of the tweets mentioning the "federal deficit" expressed grief, according to the research.
It's interesting to note that the number of tweets posted about the fiscal cliff have actually decreased since Dec.1, but the term "stock market" has trended upward.
In late November President Barack Obama reached out to Americans asking them to tweet about extending the middle class tax cuts using the hashtag 'My2k,' which may have boosted the twitter chatter about the topic. (Read More: Obama: Don't Want a Tax Hike? You Better Tweet It! )
Also, Dec. 3 Obama hosted a question and answer discussion about the 'fiscal cliff' on the social platform, also spurring conversation. (Read More: Obama Hosts 'Fiscal Cliff' Twitter Chat )
