Twitter truly measures the emotional pulse of America

No matter your views of the death penalty or of Troy Davis’ guilt or innocence, your emotions were running deep watching news regarding Troy Davis’ Tuesday night.

Would the U.S. Supreme Court issue a stay? Could his sentence be commuted? Would he be executed after being being tied to an execution table for three hours waiting for word on a stay.

Watching and listening to the mother of the police officer the jury found Davis had murdered being interviewed live. Listening to protestors at the Supreme Court and the prison. Even seeing apparent anguish on the faces of television reporters and legal columnists such as Jeffrey Toobin.

Until Twitter, sharing your emotions and feelings was limited to those family members sitting around you watching television. No more. Twitter instantly connects us to other people and their emotions.

I followed a search of the word ‘Davis’ on Twitter Tuesday night. The flood of emotion from people across the country, and even the world, was nothing short of amazing. I was instantly and literally tapped into the pulse of this country.

CEO of Twitter, Dick Costello, describes his company as a medium to instantly connect with relevant information and relevant people.

With news such as the Davis execution, the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, and the killing of Bin Laden, Twitter is much more than connecting relevant info and people. Twitter becomes a medium to tap into the emotions and feelings of the masses — the pulse of our society as a whole.

If you have not yet figured out how to use Twitter, you’re missing out on something quite special.