In 2012, Twitter went from a 140-character narcissism telegraph to a tool of novel powers, with users warning of, and reporting on, natural disasters and helping to decide elections. "When you look back at Romney and Obama," says David Schuff, associate professor of management information systems at Temple's Fox School of Business, "swings in their social-media following were followed by similar movement in the polls. Social media is no longer in its own bubble -- it can reflect real shifts in the sentiment of the overall electorate."