The News in New Media

Author: kep3

Taylor Swift Releases ‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’

November 15, 2021

Swifties everywhere have been awaiting this day for quite some time, time, time. On Nov. 12, Taylor Swift released her second re-recorded album, Red (Taylor’s Version). The re-recording of Swift’s fourth studio album includes all of the original Red tracks, plus a 10-minute version of “All Too Well” and six additional unreleased tracks featuring artists like Phoebe Bridgers, Ed Sheeran, and Chris Stapleton. The release of Red (Taylor’s Version) was accompanied by an online release of the short film All Too Well, written and directed by Swift and starring Dylan O’Brien and Sadie Sink.

At only 14 years old, the American singer-songwriter signed a 13-year contract with Big Machine Records as their first recording artist. The contract gave Big Machine ownership of the masters to Swift’s first six studio albums. After her contract with Big Machine ended, Swift announced her plan to re-record her first six albums to create new masters, giving her complete ownership of her music. The highly publicized controversy surrounding Swift’s masters sparked a discourse on intellectual property and musicians’ rights in the industry.

“It’s really inspiring for me and a lot of musicians. I think a lot of people make a couple of records [and are] like, ‘oh wow, I hit the top, I’m great now,'” said singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers in an interview with Billboard.

Red (Taylor’s Version) is the second re-recorded album Swift has released. On April 9, 2021, Swift released Fearless (Taylor’s Version), the re-recording of her second studio album. Fearless (Taylor’s Version) received critical acclaim and became the first ever re-recorded album to reach number one on the Billboard 200 chart and became the best-selling album released in 2021.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “Taylor Swift” and “Red,” “Red TV,” “Red (Taylor’s Version),” and “#ItsRedSeason.” The term “Taylor Swift” has been widely used and is not specific enough to be included in the search. While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On the day leading up to the album’s release, the search found more than 293,500+ tweets discussing this topic. By Nov. 12 at 11:59 pm, the search found 787,007 mentions across all platforms. The overall sentiment of the search was 61.9% positive and 38.1% negative. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search.

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in the conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding the news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. We found that #redtaylorsversion, #itsredseason, #taylorswift, and #alltoowelltenminuteversion are at the top. When searching the keywords “Taylor Swift” and “Red,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the album was released were “Taylor’s Version,” “All Too Well,” and “Jake Gyllenhaal.”

“Jake Gyllenhaal” being a top theme of discussion is in reference to Swift’s wildly popular song “All Too Well,” which is rumored to be about Swift’s relationship with Gyllenhaal in 2010. At the time the two dated, Swift was 19 and Gyllenhaal was 32. Swift’s newly released lyrics about her age gap with Gyllenhaal has led to both criticism of the actor from Swift’s fanbase and some viral tweets.

Who is engaging in this conversation? Unsurprisingly, the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from female Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic located in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are pop culture publications such as The Rolling Stone and Billboard. Plus, Swift herself has been an active voice in the conversation.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in r/Popheads and r/TaylorSwift. The megathread on r/Popheads discussing Red (Taylor’s Version) received 600+ upvotes and 1.5k+ comments. The comments contained statements of praise for the re-recording and the new, refined sound.

The volume trend of this conversation has slowly declined since the album was released. However, Swift announced a surprise music video  yesterday via Instagram that will be released today at 10 am, so the online conversation is likely far from over. In the meantime, we’ll be streaming the 10-minute version of “All Too Well” on repeat from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

Biden Administration Sets a Jan. 4 Vaccination Deadline for 100 Million Workers

November 8, 2021

On Thursday, Nov. 4, the Biden Administration officially rolled out two different vaccine rules that cover 100 million private sector workers. The first rule, issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), states that companies with 100 or more employees must ensure that their employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4. If employees do not get vaccinated by this deadline, they will be required to test negative for COVID-19 at least once a week.

Under the OSHA rule, employers must pay workers for the time off taken to receive the vaccine as well as sick leave for employees who experience side effects. To encourage employees to choose vaccinations over weekly testing, the rule also states that employers are not required to pay for weekly testing. However, agreements with unions may require employers to pay. Unvaccinated employees are also required to wear face coverings at work.

Companies that fail to comply with the OSHA rule may be subject to serious fines. Some major companies have already mandated vaccines, including 3M, IBM, Procter & Gamble, and others. However, other companies have been more hestitant to issue mandates and have been waiting for government clarification on a number of questions.

We know what the experts are saying, but what has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a keyword search for “OSHA” and “Vaccinated,” “OSHA” and “Biden Administration,” and “OSHA.” The term “Biden Administration” has been widely used and is not specific enough to be included in the search. While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Nov. 4 when the news was announced, the search found 250,000+ mentions discussing this topic. By Nov. 6 at 11:59 pm, the search found 329,646 mentions across all platforms. The overall sentiment of the search was 8% positive and 92% negative. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding the news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to the search. We found that #donotcomply, #osha, #nosha, and #texas were at the top. The hashtag #donotcomply is widely being used in opposition to mask and vaccine mandates. When searching the keyword “OSHA,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion were “Vaccine Mandate,” “Employees,” “Rule,” and “Companies.”

Who exactly is engaging in this conversation? It appears that the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from male Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are primarily news outlets, including Fox News, The Wall Street Journal, and ABC News. Other influencers include journalists and political commentators such as Shannon Bream, Charlie Kirk, and Ben Shapiro.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in the subreddits r/Conspiracy and r/Conservative. One of the most popular posts in r/Conservative linked to the official rule by the OSHA on www.federalregister.gov and received 1.2K+ upvotes and 460 comments. The comments contained statements criticizing the rule and the Biden Administration. “Pointing a gun at people’s head provides motivation to do just about anything. Doesn’t make it right,” commented one user.

The volume trend of the conversation has steadily declined since the news was announced. However, this conversation is certainly not over. The vaccine mandate for larger businesses was recently halted by federal appeals court and at least 27 states have filed lawsuits challenging the rule. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with the litigation surrounding the mandate in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, we’ll continue monitoring this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

Men Shot by Kyle Rittenhouse Cannot be Called ‘Victims’ in Court, Judge Rules

November 1, 2021

On Aug. 25, 2020, 17-year-old Illinois resident Kyle Rittenhouse walked among protesters supporting the Black Lives Matter movement in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and fatally shot two people with a semi-automatic rifle. He was arrested the following day in his hometown and was charged with multiple felonies, including first-degree intentional homicide, posession of a dangerous weapon while under the age of 18, and reckless endangerment. Rittenhouse told sources that he was there to protect local businesses, despite no indication that he was asked to guard the site.

Rittenhouse’s legal team attended a pre-trial hearing with prosecutors to review outstanding issues before the trial begins on Nov. 1. During the pre-trial, Kenosha County Circuit Judge Bruce Schroeder determined that the people shot by Rittenhouse may be called ‘rioters’ or ‘looters’ but that attorneys should not use the word ‘victim.’

“Let the evidence show what the evidence shows, that any or one of these people were engaged in arson, rioting or looting, then I’m not going to tell the defense they can’t call them that,” said Judge Schroeder.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a keyword search for “Kyle Rittenhouse” and “Trial,” “Kyle Rittenhouse” and “Victim,” and “Kyle Rittenhouse.” While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

In the first 24 hours after the news was announced, the search found more than 261,000 tweets discussing this topic. Unsurprisingly, the overall sentiment of this search was 95.9% negative and 4.1% positive. However,  it is difficult to gauge audience sentiment from sentiment analysis alone when discussing serious issues such as homicide. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to the search. We found that #kylerittenhouse, #removejudgeschroeder, and #antifa were at the top. When searching the keyword “Kyle Rittenhouse,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion were “Shooting People,” “Murderer,” “Self Defense,” and “Victims.”

Who exactly is engaging in this conversation? It appears that the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from male Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are primarily news outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Fox News. Other influencers include news reporters and columnists such as Haley Willis from The New York Times and Will Bunch from The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in the subreddits r/Politics, r/NotTheOnion, and r/Libertarian. One of the most popular posts on r/Libertarian linked to an NPR article about the news and received 800+ upvotes and 1.5K+ comments. The comments contained numerous statements criticizing the article for being misleading. “It’s certainly a weird situation to us on the outside looking in, but the Judge’s requests are hardly nefarious if one reads beyond headlines,” commented one user.

The volume trend of this conversation has steadily declined since the news was announced. However, this conversation is likely far from over. We expect to hear more about this topic once the trial officially begins on Nov. 1. In the meantime, we’ll continue monitoring this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

FBI Confirms Remains of Brian Laundrie Found

October 25, 2021

The case surrounding Gabby Petito has garnered national attention on social media. On Sept. 19, Petito’s body was discovered after a national search for her whereabouts. She was reported missing while on a vanlife trip across the United States with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, who was named a person of interest by the FBI. Shortly after the disappearance of Petito, Laundrie’s parents reported him as a missing person. Although Laundrie was not charged for Petito’s death, a federal court in Wyoming issued an arrest warrant for him. On Oct. 20, after national frustration surrounding his disappearance, authorities found human remains most likely belonging to Laundrie. On Oct. 21, dental records confirmed that the remains found were those of Laundrie.

Along with the remains, authorities also found a backpack and notebook belonging to Laundrie. The discovery came while they were searching the Carlton Reserve in North Port, an area that had been underwater but was recently reopened to the public.

“I know you have a lot of questions but we don’t have all the answers yet,” McPherson told CBS News. “We are working diligently to get those answers for you.”

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “Brian Laundrie” and “remains,” “Brian Laundrie” and “found,” and “Brian Laundrie.” While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Oct. 20 when the news was announced, the search yielded 237,430 mentions discussing the topic. On Oct. 21 when Laundrie’s remains were confirmed, the search yielded 285,957 mentions. Unsurprisingly, the overall sentiment of the search was 90.8% negative and 9.2% positive. However, it is difficult to gauge audience sentiment from sentiment analysis alone when discussing serious issues such as this. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. Unsurprisingly, #brianlaundrie was at the top and had been used 5,000+ times in the span of 24 hours. Other top hashtags included #breaking, #gabbypetito, and #fbi. When searching the keyword “Brian Laundrie,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the remains were found were “Search for Brian Laundrie,” “Gabby Petito,” and “Florida.”

Who is engaging in this conversation? The majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from female Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic located in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are predominantly news outlets, including BBC News, The New York Times, CNN, and Fox News. However, celebrity blogger Perez Hilton has been an active voice in the conversation as well.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in r/GabbyPetito, r/News, and r/InterestingAsFuck. One megathread in r/GabbyPetito received 1K+ upvotes and 5.6K+ comments. The thread sparked a conversation surrounding Laundrie’s involvement in the murder and his parents’ behavior. The post also linked to previous Reddit threads and sources covering the case.

The volume trend of the conversation has steadily declined since the news was announced. However, there will likely be more updates surrounding the investigation behind Laundrie’s mysterious death in the upcoming weeks. In the meantime, we’ll continue to monitor this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

Adele’s New Single “Easy on Me” Shatters Records

October 18, 2021

On Friday, Oct. 15, Adele shattered Spotify and Amazon Music records with the release of her new single “Easy on Me.” This single comes from her hotly anticipated album “30,” which is set to be released on Nov. 19. The teaser clip of the song alone garnered over 16 million views, becoming the most viewed clip by a female artist on Twitter. The poignant and emotional piano ballad is a plea to her son, Angelo, to help her through the aftermath of her divorce.

On the day of the release, Spotify announced on social media that the single had become the most-streamed song in a single day. “Easy on Me” stole the title from K-pop boy band BTS, which has held the crown since May of 2021. On Saturday, Oct. 16, Amazon Music announced that the single had received the most first-day Alexa song requests in Amazon Music history.

This is not the first time Adele has broken streaming records. Her previous album, “25,” had the highest first week sales in U.S. album chart history. Her 2015 single “Hello” became the fastest video to reach 1 billion views on YouTube.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “Adele” and “Easy on Me” and “Adele” and “record.” The term “Adele” has been widely used and is not specific enough to be included in this search. While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Oct. 15 when the single was released, the search found more than 129,800+ tweets discussing this topic. By Oct. 16 at 11:59 pm, the search found 231,238 mentions across all platforms. The overall sentiment of the search was 71.1% positive and 28.9% negative. To get a better look at the conversation and sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding the news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. We found that #easyonme, #adele, #adele30, and #blackpink are at the top. The hashtag #blackpink is in reference to the K-pop girl group Blackpink, who have also been climbing Spotify charts. When searching the keywords “Adele” and “Easy on Me,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the news was announced were “Adele 30,” “Video,” “Hello,” and “New Single.”

Who is engaging in this conversation? Unsurprisingly, the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from female Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic located in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are primarily news outlets, including Reuters, Forbes, BBC News, billboard, and others. Celebrities have also engaged in the conversation surrounding Adele’s new single as well, including American rapper Cardi B.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in r/Popheads, r/Adele, and r/AskWomen. One of the most popular posts in r/Popheads included the Spotify link for “Easy on Me” and received 2.8K+ upvotes and 640+ comments. The comments contained statements of overwhelming support for Adele, including “I just love her voice so much. I know it’s cliché, but I really think she could sing the phone book and I would still love it. It just sounds so beautiful.”

The volume trend of this conversation has declined since the single was released. However, this conversation is not over just yet. Nov. 19 is just around the corner, so it’s likely Adele will continue to trend for weeks to come. In the meantime, we’ll be streaming “Easy on Me” from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

Britney Spears’ Father Suspended From Conservatorship

October 4, 2021

The legal controversy surrounding the prolific pop icon Britney Spears has been trending in the news for months. Since 2008, Britney Spears has been living under a restrictive conservatorship allowing her father, Jamie Spears, to control her financial, medical, and personal affairs. Her father was initially granted conservatorship over his daughter due to her past struggle with mental health issues. However, Spears has made it clear to the court and to the public that she wants the conservatorship to end.

In June of 2021, Spears addressed her conservatorship in a court hearing and described her father’s behavior as abusive. Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, has been fighting for her conservatorship to be terminated completely.

“Mr. Spears has crossed unfathomable lines. While they are not evidence, the allegations warrant serious investigation, certainly by Ms. Spears as, among other things, California is a ‘two-party’ consent state” said Rosengart in a court filing.

On Sept. 29, Judge Brenda J. Penny decided to suspend Spears’ father as conservator of her estate. This is a huge win for Spears and her legal team, and has resulted in the well-known hashtag #freebritney to trend once again.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “#freebritney” and “Jamie Spears” and “conservatorship.” The term “Britney Spears” alone has been widely used and is not specific enough to include in the search. While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Sept. 29 when the news was announced, the search found 376,397 mentions discussing the topic. The overall sentiment of this search was 63.25% positive and 36.25% negative. However, it is difficult to gauge audience sentiment from sentiment analysis alone when discussing serious issues such as legal abuse. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.
To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. Unsurprisingly, #freebritney was at the top and had been used 317,000+ times in the span of 24 hours. Other top hashtags included #britneyspears, #britneyvsspears, and #squidgames. The last hashtag refers to a South Korean fictional Netflix drama in which contestants play children’s games to win large prizes, but losers are killed. Many Twitter users have posted memes about Spears’ father competing in a real-life version of this game. When searching the keyword “#freebritney,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the news was announced were “Free Britney Movement,” “Good,” and “Team.”
Who is engaging in this conversation? Unsurprisingly, the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from female Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic located in the United States. However, Twitter users from Brazil are also playing a major role in the conversation. The top influencers on Twitter include prominent news outlets such as Forbes, TIME, and ABC News, and others. Other celebrities, including Cher and Paris Hilton, have been active voices in the conversation as well.

The volume trend of this conversation has steadily declined since the news was announced. However, this conversation is not over just yet. John Zabel, a certified public accountant, will be the temporary conservator of Spears’ estate until the next court hearing. We’ll have to wait and see what happens next with this litigation. In the meantime, we’ll continue to monitor this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

A Recap of #Emmys2021

September 27, 2021

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards aired on Sunday, Sept. 19, honoring the best recent US prime time television programs. With fan favorites like The Queen’s Gambit, WandaVision, Ted Lasso, and others, the competition this year was intense.

The big winner of the evening was Netflix’s The Crown, winning Outstanding Drama Series and bringing home 7 awards. Apple TV+ also earned 4 awards for Ted Lasso, including the award for Outstanding Comedy Series. The Handmaid’s Tale did not bring home any awards despite receiving a whopping 11 nominations, leaving fans disappointed with the Emmy Awards.

The disappointment surrounding The Handmaid’s Tale was not the only controversy of the evening. Seth Rogen, known for his acting performances in Superbad and Freaks and Geeks, gave a speech condemning the Emmy Awards for allowing so many people to gather indoors. Additionally, the hashtag #emmyssowhite began trending about halfway through the award show. The Emmy Awards have received some backlash on Twitter and in the news for giving all major acting trophies to white actors, highlighting a structural issue within the industry.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords like “Emmys,” “#Emmys2021,” and “The Emmys.” While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

By Sept. 20 at 11:59 pm, the search found 1,867,938 tweets discussing the topic. The overall sentiment of this search was 86% positive and 14% negative. It’s likely that some of the negative sentiment surrounding this topic stems from the evening’s controversies. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. We found that #emmys, #emmys2021, #tedlasso, and #emmytnt are at the top. When searching the keyword “#Emmys2021,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion were “Ted Lasso,” “Red Carpet,”  and “Elizabeth Olsen.”

Who is engaging in this conversation? We found that the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from female Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are primarily entertainment channels such as Entertainment Weekly and Good Morning America. Gillian Anderson, who was nominated for her performance as Margaret Thatcher on The Crown, is a top influencer as well.

The keyword search also revealed that Instagram users are engaging in this conversation as well. Over 13,000+ Instagram posts were made featuring red carpet looks and highlights from the evening with the hashtags #emmys and #emmys2021. Fans of Ted Lasso and The Crown were especially engaged in the conversation on Instagram.

Unsurprisingly, the volume trend of the conversation has steadily declined since the award show ended. Although the Emmy Awards may be over for another year, we’ll likely continue to hear more about the lack of diversity that comes with Hollywood award shows, and hopefully hear calls for structural change. In the meantime, we’ll continue monitoring this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

American Gymnasts Testify Against Larry Nassar in Senate Hearing

September 20, 2021

On Wednesday, Sept. 15, four prominent American gymnasts testified to the US Senate about the abuse they endured from former USA Gymnastics doctor and convicted sex offender Larry Nassar. McKayla Maroney, Simone Biles, Aly Raisman, and Maggie Nichols recapped how federal law enforcement and gymnastics officials let them down and allowed for the abuse to continue.

This Senate hearing comes years after Nassar was convicted for his crimes. On Dec. 7, 2017, he was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. He was later charged with 10 counts of sexual assault of minors, leading to a sentence of de factor life imprisonment without parole. In their Sept. 16 testimony, Maroney, Biles, Raisman, and Nichols profoundly condemned the FBI’s initial mishandling of the investigation.

“They chose to lie about what I said and protect a serial child molester rather than protect not only me but countless others,” said Maroney to the Judiciary Committee.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “Senate” and “Gymnastics,” “Senate” and “Larry Nassar,” and “Senate” and “Gymnasts.” The terms “Senate” and “Senate Hearing” have been widely used and are not specific enough to be included in this search. While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Sept. 15 when the news was announced, the search found more than 35,600+ tweets discussing this topic. By Sept. 19 at 11:59 pm, the search found 68,382 mentions across all platforms. The overall sentiment of the search was 96.4% negative and 3.6% positive. It is difficult to gauge audience sentiment from sentiment analysis alone when discussing serious issues such as sexual assault. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords and phrases in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. We found that #firewray, #simonebiles, #metoo, and #criminal are at the top. The hashtag #firewray is in reference to FBI director Christopher Wray, who has faced intense scrutiny for how poorly his agency handled the abuse allegations. When searching the keywords “Senate” and “Larry Nassar,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the news was announced were “Senate Judiciary Committee,” “FBI,” “Abuse of Power,” and “Sex Abuse.”

Who is engaging in this conversation? Unsurprisingly, the majority of mentions surrounding this topic are from female Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic located in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are primarily news outlets, including The New York Times, Reuters, NBC News, and People. Senator Mazie Hirono and American politician Rudy Giuliani have been active voices in the conversation as well.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in r/Gymnastics, r/NoFilterNews, and r/TodayILearned. Several posts in r/Gymnastics were made in support of the gymnasts and their bravery, including one post featuring Maroney and Biles leaving Capitol Hill holding hands. The comments contained statements of support, including “Just two vaulting queens throwing down an evil empire” and “I hope this is a photo that is shown in history class.”

The volume trend of this conversation has steadily declined since the news was announced. However, this conversation is not over just yet. Last month, USA Gymnastics and hundreds of the victims filed a joint $425 million settlement, so it will be interesting to see what happens with this litigation. In the meantime, we’ll continue to monitor this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

Robert E. Lee Statue Removed in Richmond, Virginia

September 13, 2021

After a unanimous Virginia Supreme Court ruling, a Robert E. Lee statue erected in 1890 was removed from Monument Avenue in Richmond, Virginia. This was the final Confederate statue to be removed from Monument Avenue, marking a huge victory for civil rights activists.

Following George Floyd’s murder last summer, Democratic Governor Ralph Northam ordered for the statue to be removed. However, the removal of this historic monument required extensive litigation and Supreme Court approval. Despite Virginia having a complicated history with Confederate monuments, citizens seem to be supportive of the decision.

“It’s representative of the fact that we’re sort of peeling back the layers of injustice that Black people and people of color have experienced when governed by white supremacist policies for so long,” said community activist Ana Edwards to the Associated Press.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “Robert E Lee” and “Virginia” and “Robert E Lee” and “Statue.” The term “Robert E Lee” has been widely used and is not specific enough to be included in the search. While this search may not be fully extensive, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Sept. 8 when the news was first announced, the search found more than 117,000+ tweets discussing this topic. By Sept. 11 at 11:59 pm, the search found 216,630 mentions across all platforms. The overall sentiment of this search was 84.1% negative and 15.9% positive. It is difficult to gauge audience sentiment from sentiment analysis alone when discussing serious issues such as white supremacy. To get a better look at the conversation and the sentiment surrounding this topic, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. We found that #keepfighting, #flagoftreason, #mlk, and #virginia are at the top. When searching the keywords “Robert E Lee” and “Virginia,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the news was announced were “U.S. War Heroes,” “Largest Confederate,” “Statue of Confederate Gen,” and “Good Riddance.”

Who exactly is engaging in this conversation? The majority of the mentions surrounding this topic are from male Twitter users in the 18-35 age demographic located in the United States. The top influencers on Twitter are primarily news outlets, including CNN Breaking News, NBC News, The New York Times, and ABC News. Corinne Perkins, the North America Editor for Reuters Pictures, and Ben Shapiro, a political commentator and media host, have also been active voices in the conversation.

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in r/News, r/AskAnAmerican, r/UpliftingNews, and r/Politics. One of the most popular posts in r/News received over 2.9K+ upvotes and 400+ comments, sparking a discussion about Confederate monument removals. This post also linked to an article from The Guardian detailing the events from Sept. 8.

The volume trend of this conversation has steadily declined since the news was announced. However, the conversation may not be over quite yet. There are still several hundred Confederate monuments in the United States being removed at rapid rates. While we can’t be sure what will happen to the remainder of the monuments, we’ll continue monitoring this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips

Supreme Court Declines to Block the #TexasAbortionLaw

September 6, 2021

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, a Texas law banning nearly all abortions after six weeks of pregnancy went into effect. The Supreme Court declined to block the law, making Texas the most restrictive state in the nation in regard to abortion procedures.

The ‘Texas Heartbeat Bill’ bars abortion procedures once cardiac activity can be detected from the embryo, which typically occurs around the sixth week of pregnancy. Since women do not usually know their period is late until the fourth week of pregnancy, this law allows around two weeks for women to obtain a pregnancy test and an abortion. This law does not make any exceptions for rape or incest. Medical professionals have questioned the ethics of such a restrictive law, especially because there are seven million women of child-bearing age in Texas who may be impacted by this Supreme Court decision.

What has the conversation been like on social media? At the Social Media Listening Center, we used a search for keywords “Texas” and “Abortion,” “Ban” and “Abortion,” and “Abortion” and “Healthcare.” While this is not a fully extensive search, it provides a glimpse into the online conversation.

On Sept. 1, when the news was first announced, the search found more than 554,000+ tweets discussing this topic. By Sept. 4 at 11:59 pm, the search found 905,799 mentions across all platforms. Unsurprisingly, the sentiment of this search was 96.2% negative and 3.8% positive. To get a better look at the conversation, we paid close attention to the word cloud capturing the most common words and phrases associated with this search:

A word cloud showing the top keywords in this conversation.

To gain even further understanding of the sentiment surrounding this breaking news, we looked at the most commonly used hashtags related to this search. We found that #sb8, #bansoffourbodies, #scotus, and #roevwade are at the top. When searching the keywords “Texas” and “Abortion,” we found that some of the top themes of discussion the day the news was announced were “SB 8,” “Abortion Rights,” “Women,” and “Supreme Court.”

Unsurprisingly, this topic is especially resonating with female users in the United States within the 18-35 age bracket. Female users have also posted about this topic nearly twice as much as their male counterparts. Top influencers on Twitter include Mark Joseph Stern, CNN, President Biden, and Hillary Clinton.

A Twitter thread by Mark Joseph Stern, a staff writer for the online magazine Slate, was retweeted by over 10K users. President Biden also spoke out against Texas’ decision on Twitter prior to a formal briefing statement released by the White House, describing the law as “a blatant violation of the right established under Roe V. Wade.”

The keyword search also revealed that Reddit users are engaging in the r/Politics, r/Libertarian, r/Christianity, and r/Law subreddits. One of the most popular posts in r/Politics pointed out that Texas citizens are now allowed to carry a gun in public without a permit but cannot lawfully terminate a pregnancy. As of Sept. 2 at 3 pm, this post had received 3.3K upvotes and 600+ comments.

The online conversation is likely far from over. Since the Supreme Court has declined to block this law, it’s likely that other conservative states, such as Georgia and Alabama, will move to pass similar laws. As protests in Texas and lawsuits in state court continue to unfold, this topic will probably continue to trend for weeks to come. In the meantime, we’ll continue to monitor this topic and others from the Social Media Listening Center.

Author: Kendall Phillips