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politically wired "influencers" who process and share those messages with the broader world.
• Put simply: When a voter is exposed to any information related to the presidential contest, chances are it's been through the Twitter filter first.
• "The subset of people on Twitter may be relatively small, but it's a politically engaged audience whose influence extends both online and off," said Heather LaMarre, a University of Minnesota communications professor who stud

ies social media. "It's not the direct message that has the biggest influence on people -- it's the indirect message."
• ___

• BANGKOK (AP) -- World stock markets were pummeled Monday by election results in Greece and France that heightened uncertainty about Europe's ability to solve its debt crisis.
• Signs of a faltering economic recovery in the U.S. compounded the dour mood while oil slid to nearly $97 a barrel.
• Japan's Nikkei 225 index plunged 2.8 percent to close at 9,119.14 -- its lowest finish in three months -- with the market's export sector also sapped by a rising yen. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slid 2.6 percent to 20,536.59.

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