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BREAKING: The ways people hear about big news these days; “into a million pieces,” says source
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Oct. 11, 2012, 12:23 p.m.

Eleven percent of people who watched the presidential debate live last week were “dual screeners,” tracking the action both on TV and on a mobile device. That’s according to new research by the Pew Research Center for People & the Press.

Among viewers younger than 40, one in 10 said they ditched TV altogether and watched only on a computer or mobile device. From the report:

Overall, 32% of those younger than 40 say they followed the debate live online, including 22% who followed it both on television and online, and 10% who followed exclusively on a computer or mobile device. Those 40-to-64 are less likely to have followed live online (11%); just 1% followed only online, while 10% followed online as well as on television. Very few Americans 65 and older followed the debate live online (2%) and none followed live coverage exclusively on a computer or mobile device.

Only a tiny share of Americans who watched the debate reported reacting on platforms like Twitter and Facebook — about five percent of the overall debate audience, according to Pew.

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