Exploring the Relationship Between Televised Presidential Debate and Twitter: A Network Analysis of Intermedia Agenda Setting

This study investigates the dynamics of network intermedia agenda-setting (IAS) between televised presidential debate and Twitter, focusing on the 10th Democratic Party Presidential Primary Debate of 2020 and corresponding Twitter discussions. By utilizing a social network analysis, this study uncovers the prioritized issues and sub-issues, as well as the networked relationship between the televised debate and Twitter discussions. The results suggest that certain sub-issues are more salient than main issues in both networks, emphasizing the need to consider detailed discussions alongside overarching issues. A positive, but weak, correlation between the televised debate and Twitter discussion was found. The theoretical, methodological, and practical implications of these findings are discussed.