Author: kaleyh

After a much-anticipated wait, Adele’s album “30” has been released since her last album in 2015. So far reviews on the album from fans and critics alike have been positive. Overall, online users have a majority positive sentiment at 69.4%.  Adele’s YouTube videos for “30” currently have combined more than 169 million views. “Adele” has received 1,500,140 mentions just within the last week; these numbers continue to grow upward as her newest album gains popularity. #Adele currently has over 200,000 mentions across platforms. “30” is currently #1 on Apple’s album chart, with 4 songs in the top 10 song chart. 

Prior to her album release, Adele dropped her track “Easy on Me” on October 15th. Since its release “Easy on Me” has broken the record for the most-streamed song in a single day on Spotify, had the most successful first sales week since Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You” in January 2017, and broke the UK’s record for most streams in a week. “30” comes just one week after Taylor Swift’s re-released album “Red (Taylor’s Version)”, another record-breaking album for a female vocalist. 

The conversation around the album has been circulating since her single release of “Easy on Me”. Adele also recently completed an interview with Oprah on the CBS special: “Adele One Night Only”. Her recent tv appearance has brought a lot of attention online including common themes of discussion like “Adele One Night Only”, “Adele Easy on Me”, “Love Adele”, “Oprah”, and “music”. This can also be seen in the word cloud for common terms of discussion:

Adele has been very open about her inspiration for “30” and the intimacy she has with the record saying, “This is my album.” The singer touches on struggling with mental illness, divorce, and parenting throughout the album. She has gotten rave reviews for her vocals and unique music. The album blends generations of musical style and emotional story-telling. This heartbreak album will take you on an emotional rollercoaster that you won’t want to get off. Rolling Stone’s Rob Sheffield claims this is Adele’s “most powerful album yet”, so grab some headphones and prepare for the ride. 

Veterans Day is celebrated annually on November 11 and is dedicated to those who have fought for the U.S. Veterans from all wars are celebrated for their patriotism and sacrifice. Over the last week Veterans, Day has gotten 1, 047,000 mentions peaking at 728,425 on Thursday. Words such as “veterans”, “happy”, “military”, “country”, “served”, “service”, “today” and “honor” were all frequent in online discussion. #veteransday was also the most popular hashtag used with 98, 252 hits.

However, this holiday is unlike those of previous years, because Thursday marked the first time in 20 years that the U.S. was not at war on Veterans Day. President Joe Biden acknowledged this in his address at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery for veterans and Medal of Honor recipients. This week also marks the tomb’s centennial since its inception on Nov. 11, 1921, where for the first time members of the public were allowed to come close to the grave and pay their respects and lay flowers. 

Pres. Biden: “We have many obligations, but one truly sacred obligation: to properly prepare those and equip those who we send into harm’s way, and care for them and their families…This is a lifetime sacred commitment. It never expires.” https://t.co/Zxj3ZIpEOv #VeteransDay pic.twitter.com/cA3rzq07fg

— ABC News (@ABC) November 11, 2021

Prior to this Thursday’s Veterans Day events, President Biden announced a new military and veteran suicide prevention strategy and a series of new support options for veterans who had been exposed to “toxic” burn pits while serving. In addition to Biden’s remarks, Vice President Kamala Harris also participated in Veterans Day while visiting the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial outside of Paris. Harris and her husband both took part in the wreath-laying ceremony in honor of Armistice Day and the U.S. Veteran’s Day.

Among some of the top themes in the conversation were Remembrance Day, Happy Veterans Day, Veteran’s Day, November 11, and Air Force. Another theme that came up was, Indigenious Veterans, when taking a closer look at this unique theme, the majority of discussion is located around Canada. Indigenious Veterans Day or National Aboriginal Veterans Day is a Canadian holiday celebrated on Nov. 8 to honor aboriginal contributions to military service.

This week has marked many celebrations of service and sacrifice across the world, ensuring that we all remember those who dedicate their lives to fighting for what they believe. 

The Atlanta Braves have won the World Series for the first time since 1995. They won in a 7-0 victory over the Houston Astros in the 6th game of the series on November 3rd. The Braves led the series 3-2 going into game six. Between Oct. 28-Nov. 4 the  “Braves” keyword got over 1, 658, 000 mentions online. The most popular hashtags used have been #worldseries, #battleatl, and #braves. Overall there was a majority positive sentiment at 68.8%. Major terms associated with the “Braves” were @braves (the team’s official username), series, Astro, game, #worldseries, #battleatl, and win. 

Jorge Soler was named World Series MVP after hitting a three-run home run in the third inning. Soler’s hit put the Braves ahead 3-0, giving them the spark they needed to begin their scoring streak. During the series, Soler had an impressive record with a slugging percentage of .800, six RBIs, and three walks during the Series. He is the sixth player with three go-ahead homers in a single World Series and the third player to win MVP after starting the season with another team.

THE ATLANTA BRAVES ARE WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!#BattleATL | #ForTheA pic.twitter.com/rDXjLj4HSj

— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 3, 2021

After major injuries this season, redesigning the outfield, and entering the postseason with the fewest wins of any playoff team, the Braves seemed an unlikely choice to be the World Series Champions. The team held the longest streak of all time without a title with 16 consecutive postseason appearances. However, for the players, staff, coaches, and fans of Atlanta, this has been an accomplishment they have been striving for quite some time.  The city itself hadn’t seen a professional sports league championship since 2018 when Atlanta United won the MLS Cup. And despite close calls, last year with the Braves loss to the Dodgers in the NLCS, the Hawks fumbling in the Eastern Conference finals, and the Falcons blowing a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl, Atlanta’s four major pro sports teams haven’t won a title since 1995. The team immediately began posting on social media postgame with news about the win and celebrations. (They already have the parade planned.) Proud victors the Braves official Twitter bio reads: “Tweets from the 2021 World Series Champions. #BattleATL”. 

Although there were setbacks earlier in the year, Atlanta local Dansby Swanson had faith that the Braves would see that championship title. Swanson hit a two-run homer in the 5 innings to stretch the Braves lead to 6-0 and fielded the last ground ball of the 2021 World Series to help clinch the victory for his team. From starting the postseason as the underdogs, the Atlanta Braves have managed to overcome many setbacks and ultimately come out on top with the World Series title. And who doesn’t love an underdog story? 

If you’re from the Lowcountry of South Carolina you’ve most likely heard the name Murdaugh at one point or another. The Murdaughs have a long-standing history within the SC justice system serving as the top prosecutor for the 14th judicial circuit for three generations. Within the last five years, the Murdaugh family has been surrounded by corruption allegations, death, and criminal investigations. 

The demise of this southern dynasty has caught the attention of local and national news feeds. Investigative journalist Mandy Matney from FITSnews.com has been covering the Murdaugh family since 2019. Her podcast, the Murdaugh Murders Podcast, has received 17.1K ratings with 4.5/5 stars and is currently in the top 15 podcasts on Apple. CNN, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Fox News, the Washington Post, the Associated Press and more have all been covering the Murdaugh series. While most discussion around the Murdaughs has been excluded to South Carolina, particularly Charleston, Columbia, Hilton Head, and Greenville, the name still has a reach close to 6,700,000,000 online. 

While whispers of gossip and suspicion have followed the Murdaugh family over the years, the family was thrown into the spotlight in the summer of 2019 when a deadly boat crash rocked the Lowcountry with the youngest Murdaugh son at the heart of it. The fatal boat crash killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach and injured two others, spurring multiple lawsuits and investigations into the Murdaughs’ secrets. 

Earlier this year, Paul Murdaugh was facing three felony charges relating to the accident. Then on June 7, 2021, Paul and his mother, Maggie Murdaugh were found murdered on their hunting estate in Colleton County, SC. Both deaths remain unsolved and are still under investigation. Following the death of Paul and Maggie Murdaugh, information regarding the death of Stephen Smith lead to SLED reopening the case. Another death has also been linked to the family after a request from a local coroner spurred SLED to reopen the case of Gloria Satterfield. 

Three months after the death of his youngest son and wife, Alex Murdaugh attempted to commit suicide, despite alleging he had been shot in the head on the side of the road. This failed attempt came after Murdaugh had been accused of stealing millions of dollars and resigning from his family law firm.

The conversation is swirling around the scandals now coming out about the Murdaughs and the current investigations. Words such as “lawyer”, “Carolina”, “insurance”, “death”, “family’ and “shooting” are most common in relation to Murdaugh within the last 5 years, and #murdaugh has been the most popular hashtag used. 

After requests on social media, Dateline is set to premiere their ‘Murdaugh Saga’ in a two-hour special at 9 p.m tonight. The special is set to cover in-depth interviews with Gloria Satterfeilds family, highlight new details about Stephen Smith, and other recent developments. CBS is also covering the Murdaugh family investigations on 48 Hours Oct. 30 at 10 p.m. The ‘Murdaugh Mysteries’ episode will feature information about the 2019 boat crash that killed Mallory Beach.

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell has died after complications from COVID-19 on October 18, 2021. Colin was the first Black person to represent the U.S. government on the world stage, as President Ge0rge W. Bush’s Secretary of State. He set many standards for the military and had a long career within the U.S. government. News of Powell’s death quickly spread online, with 1,151,416 mentions in the past week. The discussion has been most frequent on Twitter with the hashtags #covid19 and #colinpowell being most frequently used. 

Powell worked with many presidents both Democratic and Republican. He was a Vietnam veteran with 35 years in the Army and eventually rose to the rank of four-star general. While serving in Vietnam he received the Soldier’s Medal for rescuing several men and was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom, twice. As a high-profile military official, Powell’s death has been covered by many of the mainstream news outlets, including CNN, BBC, and the New York Times to name a few. Additionally, his connections to both political parties run deep and sentiments from politicians everywhere can be found on social media. President Biden released a statement regarding Powell’s death honoring the late general. Former President Barak Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, and former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, all honored the memory of Colin Powell as well. 

Jill and I are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend and a patriot of unmatched honor and dignity, General Colin Powell. Time and again, he put country before self, before party, before all else—in uniform and out. He will be remembered as one of our great Americans.

— President Biden (@POTUS) October 18, 2021

Powell was regarded by many as a brilliant general who valued diplomacy and problem-solving. President Biden ordered flags to be flown at half-staff after receiving news of Powell’s death. Secretary Antony Blinken honored Powell at the U.S. Department of State, saying:

“He believed deeply that America was an exceptional nation, that we could and should lead with confidence and humility, and that the world was safer when the United States was engaged and its allies and partners were united”. 

Words commonly used in positive mentions such as “great”, “family”, “service”, “American”, “dedicated”, and “patriot” all speak to the positive opinions his fellow officials held for him. While having an illustrious career, Powell is often criticized for his part in the Iraq War, when he cited faulty information to the United Nations Security Council. Because of this Powell’s death has sparked a conversation about this blemish in his career. When looking at the most used negative words in mentions like “Iraq”, “COVID-19”, “war”, criminal”, “lied”, and “death”, they seem to be associated with Powell’s previous transgression.

Powell is known as a trailblazer within the military who set the precedent for future generations of military leaders. Powell grew up in South Bronx with Jamaican immigrant parents and worked his way up to one of the highest-ranking military offices. Powell’s memory will be that of many successes and accomplishments.

Squid Game is a Netflix series produced in South Korea. It is a dystopian thriller that places adults with large amounts of debt in a world where they must play children’s games to survive and win cash to pay off the debt or die trying. The showed has gained international attention and hit Netflix’s number 1 spot in 90 countries since its debut on September 17 and has over 31.1 billion views on TikTok.

Worldwide Squid Game has received 12,583,046 mentions across platforms and a reach of 36,766,211,260. The series has had a number of impacts including its take on modern capitalist society and class disparity, controversy on translations and dubb casting, boosting interest in Korean candy, inspiring Halloween costumes, and even making an appearance on the San Antonio Spurs Instagram.

 

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Worldwide the U.S. has the most mentions at 858K, next is Sri Lanka at 417.2K, Thailand at 338.6K, and France at 317.1K. The majority of the conversation around Squid Game has been on Twitter. Some of the words closely associated with Squid Game have been “watched”, “watching”, “Netflix”  and, “play”.

Although there have been some critics of Squid Game the public sentiment is largely positive across platforms. The series has a  Rotten Tomatoes score of 95% fresh and an average audience score of 85%. The most popular hashtag used by far is #squidgame with 262,293 mentions.

Diving deeper into the sentiment across #squidgame, some negative themes emerge over episode 6 in the series including expressions of sadness, disgust, anger, and fear. Additionally, words commonly used were painful, crying, omg, and ruining. For viewers who have yet to watch the show, there may be an indication of what is coming and if you should have a tissue box close.

Despite pressure from the success of the first season and no confirmed second season, Squid Game director, Hwang Dong-hyuk, is contemplating the second installment of the series due to the enthusiasm of audiences.  Squid Game season 2 has yet to be officially confirmed however, the series is on pace to surpass Bridgerton as the most streamed show on Netflix.

From day one, healthcare workers have been on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior to the pandemic healthcare facilities were experiencing a shortage of workers, specifically nurses. As the pandemic progressed this shortage was all too apparent and has just continued to worsen. However, support and acknowledgment of healthcare professionals at the beginning of the pandemic increased from the public boosting morale. But as COVID-19 continues to rage on, fatigue and frustration have increased from the public and healthcare workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the ineffectiveness of U.S. healthcare institutions and a system that is not built for its employees. This has prompted research into this area as we are seeing a drastic change in the landscape of healthcare within the last two years. 

Although discussion of healthcare workers has stayed consistent due to the pandemic, it has spiked within the last three days. The key term “healthcare workers” received 389,220 mentions in the last week, “nurses” received 651,897, and “doctors” received 899,674. A large increase in the conversation has been due to the implementation of vaccine mandates for some healthcare facilities. Taking a deeper look into the most used words in the discussion “mandate”, “vaccinated”, “unvaccinated”, “fired” and “shortages”, among others are noticeably present. 

While the controversy of vaccines continues, many are blaming the nursing shortage on these mandates, however, there are many other reasons that may lead to healthcare workers leaving the industry. Burnout in the healthcare profession is not uncommon, and with the onset of additional patients, stress, and death from the Corona Virus, nurses may be reaching their limit sooner than before. 

In addition to workplace trauma brought on by the pandemic, nurses are also facing physical violence and verbal abuse by patients, patient family members, and civilians outside of the hospital. Our research suggests, that the sentiment around “nurses”, “doctors”, and “healthcare workers” is largely negative. However, this may speak more to the effects and feelings towards COVID-19 rather than the work of these professionals. While still low in comparison to historical averages, there has been an increase in violence in 2021, specifically in homicide rates and nonfatal assaults. This may be one explanation for the rise of physical altercations directed towards healthcare professionals, in addition to aggressive and negative feelings.

Due to the pandemic healthcare workers are largely discussed in relation to the virus. For all three key terms, #covid19 was one of the most used hashtags. While the pandemic has been surrounded by controversy, feelings of distrust for medical institutions may be a secondary factor in the increase in violent altercations and negative sentiment towards healthcare professionals. Current protocols are being put in place to protect those in the medical field in the hopes that they can continue to protect the public during this pandemic.    

Over the past week, the US has been closely following the investigation of missing 22-year old Gabby Petito. Online sleuths, news organizations, social media personalities have all combined to find out the story behind the disappearance of Gabby Petito. The keyword “Gabby Petito” has reached over 23 billion users with 1,338, 772 mentions. Over the past month, people have been following this case as it has steadily gained traction from her disappearance to now. Hashtags like #gabbypetito, #findgabby, #bringgabbyhome have all circulated the internet.

Gabby Petito and her boyfriend were on a cross-country road trip when she began a youtube channel to chronicle their travels. Prior to her disappearance, Gabby would communicate with her family frequently, if not every day, and post on her Instagram regularly. On August 25, she also posted a series of photos on her Instagram (which now some people believe were not posted by her at all). However, her family grew concerned when they weren’t able to contact Gabby after a few days and only received brief text messages. After her boyfriend returned home alone with her van on Sept. 1, she was then reported missing on Sept. 11, 2021, after her parents were unable to contact her.

With the rural terrain and limited human contact in the area of her disappearance, the FBI of Wyoming reached out on social media for any witnesses who may have seen Gabby, her boyfriend, or their van between August 27-30. While it isn’t unusual for law enforcement to ask the public for help, the case is unique in the fact that social media is at the heart of it.

This is the specific area of Bridger-Teton National Forest in Wyoming where authorities have focused their search for Gabby Petito. @FBIDenver is seeking tips from people who visited the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area between August 27-30. #FindGabby https://t.co/SSTcntNE3j

— Justin Schecker (@justin_schecker) September 19, 2021

Popular Tiktokkers, vloggers, and podcasters have brought attention to the case.  Through social media and Gabbys vlogs, the FBI has begun to piece together a timeline of the couples’ movements. A potential witness Miranda Baker claimed in a TikTok post that she and her boyfriend gave Laundrie a ride in Grand Teton National Park on Aug. 29. Later, family travel vloggers, Kyle and Jenn Bethune came forward with a video that placed the couple’s van in the area on Aug. 27. Although it has not been confirmed by the FBI many people believe this video lead to investigators’ search in this area. Unfortunately, Gabby Petito’s body was found on Sept. 20 in a campground in Grand Teton National Park. Petito’s cause of death was ruled a homicide and this is still an ongoing investigation.

Gabby Petito’s case has not only highlighted the power of social media and its potential to affect criminal investigations but the differences between who is afforded that power. Many people have discussed how this case has is demonstrated how people of color and indigenious people are historically neglected as victims in investigations and receive less attention in the media. After completing a search of Daniel Robinson, a missing geologist in Buckeye, Arizona who was last seen June 23, 2021, we found that since his disappearance in June his name has received 274,389 mentions. And the most mentions were recorded in September, specifically September 20 when Petitos body was found.

Additionally, a search of Jocelyn Watts and Jade Wagon’s names received even fewer mentions at a combined 7,284. Both sisters were found dead a year apart near Riverton, Wyoming. Watt’s death was ruled a homicide and has yet to be solved, and Wagon’s was ruled accidental, despite questions from the family. These are just a few of the cases that continue to be underrepresented and underreported. While we search for answers for Gabby Petito, we must also search for answers for Daniel Robinson, Jocelyn Watts, Jade Wagon, and many others who also deserve justice. Social media can be an important weapon for those who yield it. As more stories are told online, hopefully, social media can shine a light on everyone and lead to more answers than questions. 

SpaceX, Elon Musk’s venture into space tourism, took its first private flight Wednesday night. The spacecraft named the Dragon took off from Kennedy Space Center at 8:02 pm. The Inspiration4 mission marks the first time a spacecraft will orbit the Earth with an all-amateur crew. 

Onboard the Dragon are Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski, and Sian Proctor. Isaacman is funding for the expedition and serving as the commander, while Arceneaux is the medical officer, and contest winners Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor, are the mission specialist and pilot. 

Both Proctor and Arceneaux broke records Wednesday. Proctor is the first Black female to pilot a spacecraft and Arceneaux is the youngest American in space and the first person in space with a prosthesis. Arceneaux is a childhood cancer survivor who works at Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Isaacman and Arceneaux are eager to engage with Saint Jude’s patients through the SpaceX program while in space. Isaacman’s hope is to raise $200 million for St. Jude through this space expedition. The crew will be completing scientific experiments and auctioning off items in space to fundraise for Saint Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The sentiment surrounding the Inspiration4 voyage is largely positive at 77%. Over the last 7 days, SpaceX has garnered 389, 979 mentions.The most popular hashtags include #spaceX, #inspiration4, #space, and #nasa. 

Unsurprisingly, SpaceX reached its highest number of mentions on September 15, the launch day of the Dragon with 121,106. Leading up to the flight the search term “Elon Musk” also increased in mentions on September 13 and held relatively steady until September 16.

In addition to the keyword “SpaceX” getting an increase in mentions, “Saint Jude”, “Arceneaux” also had a spike on Wednesday. When using the keyword “Saint Jude”, the top themes of discussion are focused on the space mission including “Kennedy Space Center”, “Jared Isaacman”, “Cancer survivor”, “SpaceX”, and “Childhood cancer”. 

The spacecraft is expected to return to Earth sometime this weekend. While this is the third private space mission, after Sir Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos flights’ in July, the Inspiration4 is unique in the length of its trip for a civilian crew. Space tourism is a new growing industry and future missions are already being planned. SpaceX in partnership with Axiom Space, are planning to send four more people into space from the International Space Station in January 2022.

Thursday night marked the start of the 2021 NFL season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beating the Dallas Cowboys 31-29. The anticipation leading up to the season was evident with 1, 224, 084 mentions across all platforms and #NFLKickoff trending on Twitter. Overall sentiment for the keyword “NFL” was positive at 59.1% and fans seemed excited for the start of the season.

“Good”, “love”, and “watch” were all top themes of discussion leading up to the Cowboys and Buccaneers’ debut. The NFL conversation picked up traction in various outlets including mentions from John Cena, CNN, the New York Times, Ed Sheeran, and ESPN. Most of the discussion was through Twitter.

Upon the Cowboy’s loss, there was a significant spike in negative responses using the #cowboys in Fort Worth, Austin, Dallas, and other Texan cities during the game last night. In contrast, positive sentiments were recorded for #buccaneers and #tombrady. Since the completion of game 1, the discussion has died down across channels. The remaining NFL teams will compete this Sunday, Sept. 12, however, online conversations have yet to pick up for those games.

The #nfl was most frequently used within the last seven days with 203, 419 mentions, #football, #sports were also very popular. In addition to these hashtags, #cryptocurrency, #crypto, and #blockchain all circulated within the last three days. This may have been influenced by the recent move towards cryptocurrency in the NFL. Many players like Sean Culkin, Trevor Lawrence, and Russel Okung are agreeing to be paid by crypto or signing contracts with cryptocurrency companies. During last night’s opening game Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen stared in a commercial advertising the cryptocurrency exchange platform FTX.

However, the league has cautioned its approach placing restrictions on team NTFs, despite their success in other professional sports leagues, like the NBA. As both the league and players push towards integrating cryptocurrency as a regular practice in sports, it will most likely continue to grow and influence discussions around the NFL.

Using the keyword “cryptocurrency and NFL”, the trend of this topic has gradually increased since September 7. Between September 8 to 10, the keyword “cryptocurrency” was strongly correlated with NFL terms including “Tom”, “Brady”, “cowboys”, “tampa”, “buccaneers”, “season”, “nfl” and “game”. The sentiment at this time was also majority positive. Overall, it seems that both Brady, the Buccaneers’ and cryptocurrency walked away with a win on Thursday.