The World Cup Taking Over Social Media

When it comes to social media, there is a wide array of topics to be discussed or shared. If enough people are discussing something like a TV show or a current event, it becomes a trending topic. So what’s the latest trend being talked about on social media? The World Cup. It’s hard to escape the constant tweeting or Facebook posts being made about this international event. It almost seems excessive, and it is. In fact, The World Cup has become the biggest social media event in the medium’s short history.

To give some insight on how popular the World Cup is right now on Facebook (posts, likes, comments), here are some statistical comparisons from a CNN article to other large events:

First Week of the World Cup = 459 million

NHL Super Bowl 2014 = 185 million

Sochi Winter Olympics 2014 = 120 million

Academy Awards 2014 = 25.4 million

And these numbers continue to grow each day with the anticipation of matches to come and matches that end with celebrations and upsets being shared all over different social media platforms.

While these numbers may seem impressive, it is no surprise the World Cup has such an impact on social media. With the tournament only happening every four years and it being international, it was bound to explode all over Twitter and Facebook. To think four years ago social media wasn’t as big as it is today. Even Twitter was still young, while hashtags weren’t even on the radar. People like sharing their thoughts and comments for the whole world to see. It’s about being apart of a something bigger than ourselves. The fact that it is an international event and soccer has grown in popularity in the United States has a lot to do with these large numbers.

But like all events, the social media presence will die down once the event has ceased and then a new event will spark a whole new conversation. So what event do you think could out do the World Cup?

 

 

 

About Megan Tschopp

Megan Tschopp is a Digital Media Specialist at Harness TechED. She is a graduate from Eastern Illinois University with a B.A. in Communications and Public Relations. Originally from the suburbs of Chicago, she now currently resides in Southern Illinois. When she's not diving into all things social media, you can usually find her exploring new places to travel to, overseeing her sorority chapter as a Recruitment Advisor, or surfing the web for all things Disney.

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