The World is Watching and Tweeting
The most widely viewed and followed sporting event in the world is yet again in full swing.
As many as one billion people tuned in to the final match during the 2010 World Cup games in South Africa, accounting for nearly 14 percent of the world population and even surpassing the Olympic Games in viewership. And, World Cup fever is continuing during this year’s Brazil games, especially as a social media world event.
In fact, CNN reports World Cup conversations have already shattered social media records. The tournament’s first week alone, June 12-18, sparked nearly 459 million posts, likes and comments on Facebook. A flood of hashtags continue to emerge and trend on Twitter, and every major social media platform has created a home for fans to receive live updates and engage with one other.
It’s astonishing to witness how fans are coming together globally to have such a dramatic impact. The hashtag #suarez, surrounding Luis Suarez’s controversial bite during the Uruguay-Italy game, trended for two full days on Twitter. People, brands and celebrities tweeted their disappointment and poked fun of the incident, drawing a significant amount attention to the incident and demanding his suspension. Whether it was a direct result or not, Suarez was suspended for four months.
We have compiled our favorite hashtags and places to keep up with World Cup conversations:
- Trending World Cup on Facebook
- #USA , #WorldCup , #BecauseFutbol, #IBelieve
- World Cup TagBoard: following Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google+
As everyone has his or her eyes on the ball during the next few weeks, it is interesting to be part of this incredible social media party where conversations seem to be growing in numbers each and every day.