Given its ability to process natural language, the sophisticated NetBase social analytics platform Insight Composer enables us to segment the lenses through which such debate events are socially "viewed." Doing so can become a useful gauge in signaling the true significance voters attach to candidate's body language, and the delivery and tone in the literal language of his or her responses.
Despite the virtual unanimity of pundits, people surveyed by pollsters and news organizations before and after the debate, our Netbase Timeline showed that social sentiment for both candidates was on a near par. Less than one hour after the debate-concluding which candidate brought his A-game and which candidate struck out at bat-net sentiment for both candidates took a plunge.
To be sure, the reasons for each candidate's sudden post-debate net sentiment nose-dive are distinct, but the plummet is a sign that voter affinity for a candidate is deeply impacted by what they perceive in body language. A DailyBeast analysis of the contenders' body language concluded Mr. Romney exhibited "aggressive and manic" behavior, while President Obama showed "cool."
Like the stats on a scoreboard, clearly evident on our listening platform is the true impact of body language on voter perception. As such imagery as infographics and pictorial representations on Pinterest show, social marketing visual content today plays an integral roles in brand marketing. And so, too, must the social listening of the conversations that surround non-verbal communication, as shown in the Attributes cloud for President Obama below.
Anthropologists and other body language experts tend to offer variable interpretations of facial expression, but they do arrive at one consensus of opinion: The human "blink factor" does signify the implication of truthfulness vs. dishonesty. Rapid blinking also has been associated with "arrogance."
If every picture tells a story, so does the "reality check" we took of the first Presidential debate, which has its own voter VOC. Our CrossTab analysis chart shows both character and issues themes and offers visual reference of discussion volume segmented by theme. This is a listening platform to measure and analyze the discussion on the issues and show how voters perceived the sincerity and/or disingenuous character of both candidates during the debate. The reality check criteria filtered all data within 24 hours for terms including #truthful, trustworthy, #honest, trust, lying, believable, and blinking.
As we reach the seventh inning stretch of the 2012 electoral season, body language continues to make its mark on voter perception-not to mention a candidate's physique. Voters also are significantly swayed by non-verbal communication and they are drawing vital correlations between a candidate's character, leadership and competence.
So what's the social body politic take on "blinking" during the debate? Even absent the science, our reality check filter shows that the significance of body language in voter perception cannot be ignored or discarded. Further, a social listening platform must not be ruled out as an invaluable barometer of social voter sentiment.
The following is a random sampling from 650 Facebook and Twitter posts filtered for "blinking" exhibited by Mr. Romney:
Obama- smirks, frowns and looking down at the podium? Romney- excessive blinking, "perma-grin" and smile.
#Romney blink rate is off the charts.
Midway thru debate they turned off AC at the debate & let the breeze from all of @mittromney's blinks cool off the audience.
I'm pretty sure the only person to blink more than Romney during a presidential debate is Nixon.
Body language cues: Lots of blinking. Romney fidgeted quite a bit. Both had forced, and occasionally condescending, smiles.
This is a random sampling from 1,570 NetBase posts filtered for the "blinking" of President Obama:
U stood looking down most of the time, blinking and tightening your lips which U do when your mad, U lost!
It seems to me that the debate last night was a 'damned if you do, and damned if you don't' situation with President Obama.
The President's greatest nonverbal strength is his smile - which is most often genuine and warm - but even that faded last night.
Congratulations to Mittens for passing Debate Skill 101.
Mitt Romney blinked more, while listening to President Obama, than the President blinked while listening to Mitt. Frequency Count: President Obama 18 blinks/30 sec. Mitt Romney 26 blinks/30 sec.
As "body politics" enter the arena of social analysis, determining whether predictive analytics can be correlated with a hypothetical exercise in suspended animation can prove a fascinating exercise. At minimum, the analysis of social body language can provide the candidates and their surrogate sparring partners with useful rehearsal tips.
In the campaign's final innings, debate performance can represent the home run or foul to left field. Can social media decide the winner of a Presidential debate? Or even predict the winner of the 2012 election?
We shall see-and listen.
Batter up.