What It's Really Like to Be at the State of the Union in 18 Tweets

Jan 20, 2015, 11:43 PM ET
PHOTO: President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 20, 2015 J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo
President Barack Obama gives his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on Capitol Hill in Washington, Jan. 20, 2015

The State of the Union is televised and covered by countless media organizations, but traditionally few people actually get to see what goes on behind the scenes. Thanks to social media, all that has changed.

Here's a behind-the-scenes look at what it's like to attend one of the biggest events in Washington.

There's lots of preparation involved, from Senate pages to TV crews who camp out all day.

The White House and Senior Aide Dan Pfeiffer trolled followers a bit as well.

ABC journalists also shared what they saw leading up to the speech.

ABC Digital Producer Benjamin Bell met up with Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Illinois, to to get his take on the speech.

The question was in reference to members of Congress like Rep. Eliot Engel, D-New York, who stake out seats hours in advance to get a good seat.

Folks even shared pictures of the activity after the speech.