Super Bowl social media takes center stage

With Super Bowl XLVIII approaching on Sunday, social media will again be front and center during the big game.
News 12 reporter Andrew Ehinger was at Mashable headquarters in New York City to ask how important social media has become to events like the Super Bowl.
Lance Ulanoff, editor-in-chief at Mashable, says there were 24 million tweets during last year's Super Bowl, and he expects that number to be surpassed.
"As people wait for the big magic moment, they will tweet about it. They will have Facebook posts on it. It's how they engage with the game beyond just watching the screen," said Ulanoff.
Mashable is one of the leading voices on the web in terms tracking social media and the latest trends on the Internet.
Volunteers at the NFL's social media command center in Manhattan say they are monitoring thousands of Super Bowl-related conversations on Facebook and Twitter. They say they can quickly answer questions about pre-game or game day events, weather-related issues or stadium security.
The official Super Bowl app will also be used in conjunction with users watching the game, along with other apps that will help people engage with the over-the-top commercials. Other apps will allow users to stream the game directly their phones or tablets.