Here, we'll take a look at what role social played in avoiding financial ruin, as well as allegations that presidential candidate and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich bought his Twitter following and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee's take on U.S. history. This is the Week in Politics & Digital.
Debt Bill Passes, Some Blood on the Floor
With 1.3 million followers, Gingrich has more than any other Republican candidate. But a former staffer claims Gingrich paid "follow" agencies to create fake Twitter accounts that follow him. The anonymous staffer told Gawker that 80% of Gingrich's followers are fake; a quick scan revealed many accounts that have never tweeted or have no profile picture and bio info.
A follow up by PeekYou revealed that only 8% of Gingrich's followers are actually human.
This of course doesn't prove Gingrich paid a firm and it still leaves him with an enviable 100,000 real followers.
Learn History From Mike Huckabee
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has co-founded Learn Our History, a site aimed at teaching important events in American history to a young demographic. One lesson, for example, provides a digital re-enactment of 9/11 and the War on Terror.
The videos cost $10 each and are meant to correct "our children's classes and learning materials [that] are often filled with misrepresentations, including historical inaccuracies, personal biases and political correctness."