Visitors can use CNN's big election night maps at newseum #Campaign2016 exhibit pic.twitter.com/dWa7HQ02IB
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) April 15, 2016
For first time ever, public can see real-time data mined by zignal labs on 2016 candidates at newseum exhibit pic.twitter.com/UJplNi56x0
— John Aaron (@JohnAaronWTOP) April 15, 2016
WASHINGTON — A new exhibit looks to put visitors right in the thick of the presidential race. “CNN Politics Campaign 2016: Like, Share, Elect” opened to the public Friday at the Newseum.
“This is kind of like being in a campaign war room,” says Patty Rhule, director of exhibit development for the Newseum.
Notably, visitors can use interactive big-screen displays that show real-time data about what is being said about the candidates on social media, blogs and in traditional media.
Rhule says the data, from Zignal Labs, have never been made publicly available before. The data include top issues being discussed about a candidate, word clouds of terms associated with them and even emoji clouds.
“[It’s] just kind of interesting to get the insights that the candidates are getting, and the people in the know are getting,” says Rhule. “The candidates are all using Zignal Labs to … determine ‘are my messages getting out, is it the right message, am I targeting the right people?’”
Visitors can compare what is being said about a candidate to screens showing the Pivit Political Prediction Market, in which users register their votes on various political outcomes.
The exhibit also includes a touch screen that can either register voters or connect them with the appropriate documents for registration, and a “candidate matchmaker” screen that helps visitors pick a candidate based on their views.
Also, there’s a booth where visitors can record their thoughts on the election, and the exhibit features the wall-sized touch screens that reporters use to show voting return maps on election night.
The exhibit will run through the inauguration.
