Study: Twitter can predict outcome of an election

Twitter co-founder and Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey listens while President Barack Obama speaks during an online Twitter town hall meeting from the East Room of the White House July 6, 2011 in Washington, DC. Obama and Twitter co-founder and Executive Chairman Jack Dorsey held the online discussion to speak about the U.S .debt ceiling crisis.

A study by researchers at Indiana University shows that Twitter might be the best way to predict who will win an election.

Researchers at Indiana University have found a new use for Twitter, and it has nothing to do with pictures of your cat or what you had for lunch. Their study shows that Twitter might be the best way to predict who will win an election.

Basically, the more times a candidate's name appeared in a tweet compared to their rival, the more likely they were to win. It might not sound like the most shocking conclusion, but the results were nearly perfect.

In 2010, analyzing tweets predicted 404 out of 406 competitive races for seats in the House of Representatives in 2010.

For more on Twitter and elections we're joined by Fabio Rojas, assistant sociology professor at Indiana University.