The News in New Media

Month: April 2022

Coachella Festival Makes Headlines

April 27, 2022

The annual Coachella music festival wrapped up Sunday night after two wild weekends in California. The festival, usually a hotbed of bold fashion choices and marquee musical artists, seemed to underwhelm this year. Despite a lackluster response on social media, several major events kept the festival in the headlines.

From the start of April through midnight on April 25th – the day after it ended – Coachella was mentioned 748.34K times across social and news media across the United States. Naturally, there was a major spike surrounding the first weekend of performances – a surge lasting April 15th through April 19th – before a smaller blip on the radar for the second weekend.

Much of the discussion surrounding the festival included the word “ticket;” lots of festival-goers were trying to sell their tickets for a weekend or even the whole event. These tickets had a stronger usage of the festival hashtag  – #Coachella2022 or more simply just #Coachella – than some other trends, indicating that its prime demographic of socially-savvy millennials and Gen Z-ers were hard at work, making the most of Twitter’s affordances to reach more people and have a better chance of selling their tickets.

Many artists gave impressive performances, as music festivals (and especially Coachella) have become something of a game of one-upmanship, with each act needing to be better than the previous one or performances in prior years just to make headlines. Here are some of the top headliners:

Harry Styles at No. 1 is no surprise, especially as he surprised fans by dueting not only with Shania Twain but also Lizzo. His newest album “Harry’s House” is also due to be released in a few weeks, and these items combined with the general fact that it’s Harry Styles made him one of the most must-see performances.  The terms “Coachella” AND “Harry” (yes, we’re all on a first-name basis with him) returned 105.85K mentions in the United States, with the hashtag #harrychella raking in just under 4K uses. It’s Harry’s world and we’re just living in it.

Billie Eilish – number three on the list above – also turned out an impressive partnership with the lead singer of Paramore, Hayley Williams.

Billie’s haunting music, as well as her eccentric style of dress and strong personality also provided fans plenty to talk about. Not only did she apparently fall on her face during a set, but a top trend for “Coachella” AND “Billie” is “Baymax from Big Hero 6,” referencing an outfit she wore and the animated character it reminded fans of.

(This is Baymax, if you aren’t up-to-date on more recent Disney movies:)

However, the festival wasn’t all fun and memes. Concerns about having such a big event while the COVID-19 pandemic remains in full swing was a concern, despite its outdoor nature. Mentions containing both “Coachella” AND “covid” return 9.31K mentions, with a slight majority of those coded for negative tone. They really spiked in volume over the last few days, starting to trend upwards on April 24th.

Comedian Jimmy Fallon of “The Tonight Show” poked fun at the festival’s well-known carefree atmosphere with this meme, noting the vibes weren’t the only positive thing in Indio, CA:

With the United States and much of the rest of the world determined to return to normal amidst COVID, it’s easy to see that the show must go on at Coachella. The amazing music, outlandish outfits, and wild drama were as exciting as any other year, nestled in the desert outside Palm Springs.

Author: Kayleigh Jackson

Brooklyn Shooter Taken into Custody

April 14, 2022

Police located the 62-year-old man wanted for the Brooklyn subway train shooting following a city-wide search. New York police were offering a $50,000 reward for information related to the suspect.

A normal Tuesday morning commute turned into a horrific scene of violence when Frank James released a smoke bomb and open fired on a crowded subway car. He was taken into custody after he was spotted by bystanders Wednesday.

According to New York Crime Stoppers, one call came in claiming to be the suspect himself. James called the NYPD and wanted to turn himself in stating, “I think you’re looking for me, I’m seeing my picture all over the news and I’ll be around this McDonalds.”

He reportedly told police that he would be in McDonald’s charging his dying phone or he would be standing out front. When police arrived, James was no longer in the McDonalds but was down the street charging his phone at a kiosk.


New York Mayor Eric Adams revealed that James was taken into custody by the NYPD and will be charged under a federal statute that prohibits terrorist and other violent attacks in mass transit systems. He will also be charged for crossing state lines. James was a resident in Philadelphia and is assumed to have driven a rental U-Haul to New York to proceed with the attack. James will face life in prison if convicted of the attack.

New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell stated, “We hope this arrest brings some solace to the victims and the people of the city of New York. We used every resource at our disposal to gather and process significant evidence that directly links Mr. James to the shooting. We were able to shrink his world quickly. There was nowhere left for him to run.”

Officials have said that the motive of this crime remains unclear, but witnesses said the gunman was seen mumbling to himself while wearing a reflective vest before putting on the gas mask and removing a canister from his bag that then filled the car with smoke. He then began shooting.

Ten people were struck by bullets, while others were either grazed or hurt in the chaos that followed. Luckily, none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

Frank James was first a person of interest in this crime but after reviewing an investigation that included video, cell phone data, and witness interviews, officials identified him as the primary suspect.

According to Sprinklr, the Brooklyn shooting has been mentioned 362K times since the incident occurred Tuesday. Posts have reached over 11 billion feeds. Most of the social media conversation is occurring through Twitter with over 278K mentions on the platform. Top themes of discussion include Frank James, Brooklyn Subway Station, New York, and Police Presence.

While the shooter has been brought into custody, this incident provides a tangible example of how social media conversation can assist in both identifying and solving crime. A combination of video, photo, and witness remarks shared through social media were all utilized by investigators to ensure the shooter responsible was located. As always, we will keep you updated on the conviction of Frank James and any possible motives that are later revealed through additional investigation.

 

 

 

 

Scottie Scheffler, Tiger Woods Headline Masters Tournament

April 11, 2022

The Masters Tournament took place over the last weekend, with the PGA Tour’s top stars showing out in Augusta. Relative newcomer Scottie Scheffler took home the green jacket, while Tiger Woods ultimately did compete in the tournament after a few days of will-he-won’t-he hedging.

Unlike many other recent elite sporting championships, the PGA Tour is truly a global affair, and social media users from around the world chimed in. The United States naturally led the way with more than 25.5K mentions of “The Masters” AND “PGA” since the start of April, but Canada, the United Kingdom, India, and Australia rounded out the top five with a fairly even distribution of traffic. Those same terms pulled in more than 43.6K mentions total throughout April, reaching more than 304.77 million feeds.

Why look at only mentions of The Masters that also include “PGA”? After all, if we remove the second parameter, we have 841.74K mentions just of “The Masters.” However, this term also pulls in several other topics of discussion, including Master’s degrees and, strangely, political arguments about communism and immigration. While those themes are certainly interesting, they don’t add much to the golf discourse!

Back to golf, then; the top trending player is Tiger Woods, which is unsurprising. Woods led up to the tournament without committing whether or not he’d actually play. Ultimately, he did take to the greens, but he came in a dismal 47th place, with a score of six over par. Regardless, he was mentioned more than 309.9K times as he remains one of the most recognizable figures not only in golf but in the sports world as a whole. (The goat emoji was one of the top-used emojis in conjunction with his name!)

Meanwhile, the American Scheffler is now the top-ranked male golfer in the world with his Masters victory. Though he’s been on the PGA Tour since 2018, this is his first major win, and he raked in the dough with a final score of ten under par. Scheffler was mentioned 113.4K times since the start of April, with a huge spike late on Saturday and a peak on Sunday, the day the tournament ended.

Next up on the Tour is the RBC Heritage tournament in Hilton Head, SC.

Author: Kayleigh Jackson

Defense Production Act Initiated for EV’s

April 7, 2022

President Biden united automakers in his mission to drive American leadership towards zero-emissions vehicles when he set an ambitious target of 50% of electric vehicle (EV) sale shares in the U.S. by 2030. In December 2021, President Biden released an EV Charging Action Plan which outlines steps to support developing and deploying chargers throughout American communities across the country. TheDepartment of Energy (DOE) and Department of Transportation (DOT) established a Joint Office of Energy and Transportation which will focus solely on deploying EV infrastructure including charging stations and implementation practices across the industry. The new department will also work alongside industry leaders, manufacturers, workers, and other stakeholders to ensure the nation is appropriately prepared to support convenient EV charging for all.

US President Joe Biden delivers remarks at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, in Dearborn, Michigan on May 18, 2021. (Photo by NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty Images)

According to The Biden-Harris Electric Vehicle Charging Action Plan, $5 billion dollars has been allotted to funding for states with the end goal of building a national charging network. In hopes of managing the shifting demand for charging stations, 10% of this budget is set-aside each year to provide grants to States in order to help fill gaps in the network (Whitehouse.gov). The Action Plan also provides $2.5 billion dollars in funding for communities to better support innovative approaches and ensure that charger deployment meets Administration priorities such as rural charging, improving local air quality and increasing EV charging access in disadvantaged communities (Whitehouse.gov).

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

While the push towards electric vehicles remains a top priority for the administration, news broke late last week regarding an additional measure to ensure the success of EV’s across America. President Biden announced the Defense Production Act last Thursday. An initiative which primarily focuses on the promotion of domestic mining and production of key minerals used in electric vehicles. Biden stated at the press release that this Act is implemented under the assumption that the United State’s long-term reliance on China and other countries to supply inputs for U.S. electric vehicles will be significantly lessened.

According to Sprinklr, the volume of content released on social media in regard to The Defense Production Act nearly tripled over the course of the week leading up the President’s announcement. Trending hashtags alongside the initiative included #rggi which stands for Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative which aims to reduce emission from United States industry. Content was most prominent in New York, Texas, and Washington, D.C. While the majority of news dissemination occurred through traditional news outlets (8,196 posts in the past week), additional conversations surrounding The Defense Production Act occurred on Twitter, Reddit, and through different chat forums.

Photo courtesy of Getty Images

While sentiment scores remain heavily neutral for the time being (11.9K), it is likely that this conversation is far from over. President Biden also announced a new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility in North Carolina last Tuesday. This project is worth approximately $4 billion dollars and promises to create more than 7,000 jobs while rolling out hundreds of thousands of electric vehicles and batteries across the nation. It is expected that as the project rolls out an increased number of news sources and specifically North Carolina residents, will weigh in on the conversation.

The promise of an all-electric vehicle future is bright. Plans are being initiated to ensure the transition to zero-emissions vehicles will be as fruitful for American workers, as it will be for the environment.

 

March Madness Wraps Up For 2022

April 5, 2022

This week, both men’s and women’s March Madness tournaments concluded with two new champions. This year’s competitions were full of bracket busters and Cinderella stories, yet the Final Four for each was a return to the norm. The University of Kansas Jayhawks took the crown for the men, while the University of South Carolina Gamecocks won it all for the women.

Let’s take a look at many of the social trends surrounding these nearly month-long competitions – as the First Four round began for the men on March 15 and the women on March 16, and the championship games were played over the last two nights.

In a window from March 14, 2022, through noon on April 5, 2022, the words “March Madness” were mentioned just over 809.49K times, reaching nearly 8.34 billion feeds. The official name for the tournament, the NCAA Tournament, was mentioned only slightly less, with 737.5K mentions while reaching 11.31 billion feeds, likely due to more official team and media accounts with wider audience bases using the proper name rather than the colloquialism “March Madness.” However, the hashtag #marchmadness checked in with 9,125 uses while the #ncaatournament hashtag rounded up just 1,812 uses. 

Many athletes’ standout performances led to a growth in personal online followings, especially on Instagram:

However, the championship teams on each side as a whole were the subjects of lots of traffic and discussion online as well.

Men’s Championship

    • University of Kansas Jayhawks: The Jayhawks won the title with a score of 72-69 after staging the largest comeback ever in a national championship game, down by 15 points at the half. While acknowledging that searching just for the state/university name will pull in lots of unrelated traffic, the terms “Kansas” OR “Jayhawks” pulled in 1.41 million mentions over the same time window as above. Meanwhile, Ochai Agbaji was named the Most Outstanding Player (the unfortunately abbreviated MOP) of the tournament, and his name returned 50.23K mentions – naturally spiking over the Final Four and after he was named the MOP.

    • University of North Carolina Tar Heels: The Tar Heels have the opposite entry into the history books than the Jayhawks, giving up that same record-setting lead to lose their latest shot at the title. The terms “UNC” OR “Tar Heels” returned 170.8K mentions across platforms. The eight-seed was certainly the underdog compared to the top-ranked Kansas squad, and even though they lost many of their fans were eager to talk about first-year UNC coach Hubert Davis’s amazing path to the finals.

Women’s Championship

    • University of South Carolina Gamecocks: Leading up to the final, UConn head coach Geno Auriemma reminded us all he had an 11-0 record in championship games; basketball icon and USC coach Dawn Staley responded that she was – at that point – 1-0 in championship games, so they really had the same win percentage. Staley would indeed get the last laugh this year as her South Carolina squad would take down the perennial powerhouse Huskies, 64-49. The Gamecocks pulled in 362.33K mentions over this time window, with coach Staley herself accumulating 120.49K mentions – a whopping 84.5% of which were positive! South Carolina’s reigning player of the year Aliyah Boston was also named the Most Outstanding Player of the women’s tournament, earning both personal redemption as well as 2.25K mentions – including a name drop by Magic Johnson himself.

    • University of Connecticut Huskies: It’s impossible to overstate just how much UConn has dominated women’s basketball over the past few decades. Star player Paige Bueckers consistently turns in elite performances while Coach Auriemma has plenty of proof to back up his confidence. “UConn” OR “Huskies” turned in 815.7K mentions – interestingly, a major dropoff in traffic after the first few days of the tournament that continued through the final. Bueckers’ name returned 48.5K mentions, spiking on game days, while Auriemma was mentioned 28.76K times, with surges around the Final Four and prior to the championship game.

Honorable Mention: The Cinderella Story

  • St. Peter’s University Peacocks: Every year, it seems that one low-seeded team pulls off an improbable run and downs its fair share of giants before the magic runs out. This year, the 15-seed Peacocks plowed through Kentucky, Murray State, and Purdue before UNC would ultimately get the better of them in the Elite Eight. These underdogs pulled in 239.3K mentions during their amazing run, while basketball’s new darling Doug Edert accounted for 36.97K mentions. Edert, along with two of his teammates, Daryl Banks and Matthew Lee, announced just today that they were entering the transfer portal, leading to the start of an uptick in traffic around their names at the time this article was written.

Author: Kayleigh Jackson

iPhone 6 users lose access to Twitter

April 1, 2022

This past Wednesday iPhone 6 users were surprised to find that they could no longer access Twitter on their phones. Twitter updated their app to update to an iOS 14 iPhone version, but iPhone 6 users can only update their phones to iOS 12. The change in support caused iPhone 6 users to be unable to use the app, except view a few loaded tweets on their timeline.

Since the surprise update, search terms “Twitter” and “iPhone 6” have generated 10.6K mentions and reached 72.32 million users. Location-wise, Turkey contributed the highest to this conversation with 1.7K mentions. This reflects statistical data, which shows that Turkey’s top iPhone model is the 6 version.

While this has affected iPhone 6’s users ability to use Twitter’s app, they can still use Twitter on their Safari app. It is not uncommon for app platforms to update their iOS versions. As technology advances, previous iOS version do not always possess the development feature capacities needed that software developers are using when designing new app features. In most cases, the app will send notifications to users prior to a switch like this, prompting them to update their phones before they switch to a new iOS support system. The advancing technological landscape will surely continue these developments in iOS updates.

However, it won’t stop the users affected from it from banding together to make jokes about the effects it has on them.

https://twitter.com/jigslypuff/status/1509335453467820032?s=10&t=se765W3U20zHXznb9GlkkA

https://twitter.com/_moskid/status/1509216683680010245?s=10&t=se765W3U20zHXznb9GlkkA

Author: Eden Wallace