Author: merrima

American television producer and screenwriter, Dan Schneider, has come under scrutiny following the release of a new Nickelodeon Documentary, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. Popularly known for his work on several big hit shows like iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake and Josh, Victorious, and many more, Schneider has faced many accusations of misconduct and curating uncomfortable work environments for kid actors in his time in the industry. The documentary highlights the aspects of toxic culture and abuse that went on behind the scenes of some of Nickelodeon’s hit shows. Former stars of the shows were extensively interviewed in the documentary series and numerous actors shared their experiences with sexism, racism, and verbal abuse that were all occurring during production. The series is set to be a limited five-part series.

The topic on social media continued to increase following the series release on March 17th, 2024. The topic reached its peak of conversation on Tuesday, March 19, 2024. Overall, there was a reach of 3 billion and 324.29 k mentions across social media channels. The most popular social media channels that hosted conversation on the documentary were X, Reddit, and News Sources. 

Dan Schneider has spoken out following the release of the series and the responses from viewers have largely been negative. 

The cause of another peak in conversation on March 21st, 2024 came from a post by Steve Burns, former actor on Blue’s Clues, when he posted a video following the release of the series and his abrupt departure from the show. 

An additional topic of conversation on social media is pertaining to Drake Bell and his involvement in the series. During the third episode, Bell announced for the first time that he was the suspect involved in the Brian Peck trial for child sexual abuse that ultimately sent Peck to prison in 2004. Peck was a dialogue and acting coach for Nickelodeon. Further commentary came when fans took to Bell’s side defending him or ridiculing him for his more recent behavior of pleading guilty to attempted child endangerment. 

Additional commentary occurred with Matthew Underwood when he spoke out following the docuseries. Viewers are criticizing those asking for victims to come forward, indicating how difficult it is for the actors to share their stories. 

The fifth episode of the docuseries is set to be released on April 7th, 2024. Many viewers are awaiting the episode as it has created so much commentary and awareness on the difficult topics. 

Author: Lexi Merriman

The Francis Scott Key Baltimore Bridge collapse has left the nation in shock. On Tuesday, March 26th, 2024 at 1:30 AM the Baltimore Key Bridge was struck by a container ship (Dali) passing below. The 948 foot long cargo ship hit one of the two base support beams of the bridge, causing the entire structure to collapse upon the initial impact. Impact is suspected to be due to the ship’s to a loss of power minutes before approaching the bridge and the failure of the cargo ship’s propulsion. Crew members onboard notified the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) that control of the ship had been lost and collision with the bridge was possible. The emergency call from the ship allowed for traffic to be stopped on both ends of the bridge, however 6 construction workers were on the bridge repairing potholes and masonry at the time of the crash.

 Search and rescue efforts continued throughout the day Tuesday to locate the remaining individuals who were on the bridge at the time of impact. On Wednesday March 27th, search efforts were paused due to the amount of debris prohibiting divers from safely navigating the area. The pause occurred after the recovery of two bodies from the individuals that were involved in the bridge collapse. The crash has resulted in the closure of one of the country’s busiest ports.

Social media conversations surrounding the key bridge crash on March 26th, 2024 have continued to rise as the investigation into the deadly event continues and information on the exact events of the crash are being revealed. Since Tuesday, the topic has had a reach of 6.93 billion and 368.96 K mentions. In addition to the six workers who were initially missing, two other workers were rescued, of which one is in the hospital. The topic reached its peak on March 26th, 2024 at 8:00 PM. 

One of the main topics of conversation has been Dali’s involvement in previous incidents. Individuals call into question the reason for its continued use. Some conversations even call into question if this event was an accident.  

Additional commentary occurred regarding one of the two workers who was located shortly after the crash and opted not to go to the hospital. 

First responders are also being praised for their efforts to prevent further loss of life/injury from occurring during the crash. 

The cause of Dali’s power failure is still unknown. Jennifer Homendy, National Transportation Safety Board Chair, stated that investigators had boarded the ship to recover the data recorder in hopes of piecing together the timeline and reasoning leading to the crash.

Author: Lexi Merriman

Two fatal plane crashes within 24 hours of one another have spiked social media conversations surrounding the safety of private aviation travel. Many individuals took to social media on March 10th and March 11th, 2024 to share condolences and concern for the individuals that passed away on board the flights. Of the two plane crashes, one occurred in western Virginia and the other in northern Oregon. 

Five people have been pronounced deceased following the plane crash in western Virginia. On March 10th, a twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 plane was reported by the Federal Aviation Administration to have crashed into the wooded area near the Ingalls Field Airport in Hot Springs, VA. The crash occurred around 3pm. Among those deceased were four adults and a minor. The plane was reported to have come short on the runway which led to the plane hitting the surrounding trees and then the hillside. The plane caught fire upon impact, killing all passengers. The individuals were pronounced dead at the scene. 

On the same day, another plane crash took place in central Oregon involving a small plane that was inbound for Idaho. The crash occurred around 7 pm in the evening. The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-32, crashed roughly 6 miles southeast from Madras, OR and is reported to have no survivors. The crash is currently under investigation by the local sheriff’s office, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board. Due to difficulty in ability to contact the deceased’s family, specific information on those involved in the crash has yet to be released. 

Social media conversations surrounding the two plane crashes have an overall negative sentiment. Since the crashes occurred on Sunday, the topics have had an overall reach of 59.42 M. The conversations have had 3.63 K mentions. Conversations peaked on March 10th, 2024 at 6:00 PM following the story breaking about the Virginia plane crash on news outlets with 1,995 K mentions. 

Concerned citizens also took to social media to express concern for the volume of crashes occurring, both in the area and nationally. 

As the investigations continue, individuals are curious to see the reasoning for what appears to be a spike in the number of small-scale plane crashes.

Author: Lexi Merriman

The news of Laken Riley’s untimely death on the University of Georgia’s (UGA) campus has sparked substantial conversations surrounding collegiate student safety, immigration policies, and university policies. On February 22nd, 2024, Riley was found dead near the Campus’s Intramural Fields in a wooded area by Lake Herrick. The murder suspect was identified as Jose Antonio Ibarra, who faced state charges for malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another. Ibarra has since been convicted.

UGA campus police responded to the scene around 12:20 PM following a call from a close friend of Riley’s when she reportedly did not return from her morning run. She was located shortly after and pronounced dead at the scene. 

A graduate of UGA class of ‘23, Riley was continuing to pursue a nursing degree at Augusta Medical College’s campus in Athens. She was 22 years old. Friends and family of the victim describe her to be an “amazing daughter, sister, friend and an overall extraordinary person”. She was reported to be an active community member, participating in greek life on campus and her community churches, Woodstock City Church and Watkinsville First Baptist Church. 

In the past week since Riley’s murder, social media conversations surrounding the homicide have had a reach of 11.4 billion. X has held the majority of conversations surrounding the topic. The total number of mentions is currently at 1.25 million, with the second most mentions occurring on February 24th, 2024 totalling 285,768 thousand. The most mentions about the topic occurred on February 28th, 2024 with 308,978 thousand when new information was released about the investigation. The University of Georgia and Augusta University canceled classes on Friday following the news. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, has created a great deal of conversation about the topic. In his post expressing condolences for Riley’s family, he also mentions immigration policies from our nation’s administration to be part of the reason for her loss. Individuals have taken both sides arguing for and against his commentary. 

Additional commentary about the homicide surrounded new information released on the events that occurred during the attack. From affidavits and police reports, conversations on social media were at their highest yesterday in discussion of these updates. According to reports published by the Athens-Clarke County police about the investigation, it was identified that Laken Riley did attempt to call the police during her attack and was connected with a dispatcher. Local police have declined to provide the audio of the phone call.

Overall, social media conversations, despite their political orientations, agree on one thing. It shouldn’t have happened. As the nation rallies behind Laken and friends and family mourn her death, promises of honoring her life have emerged. See Laken Riley’s obituary here: https://www.poolefuneralhome.net/obituaries/laken-riley

Author: Lexi Merriman

The Kansas City Chiefs took home the Super Bowl win in Las Vegas on February 11th in a roller coaster matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. The game kept viewers on edge as it went into overtime and the winning touchdown was scored in the final three seconds. The event had a total of 6.43 million mentions between Sunday, February 11th to Monday, February 12th, 2024. Overall, Super Bowl LVIII had a reach of 78.18 billion. Setting a new viewership record that was previously at 115.1 million viewers when the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles last year. Social media conversations were predominantly held on X, Reddit, News broadcasts, and Instagram, with X having a total of 5,647,399 mentions. 

One of the key areas of discussion was Travis Kelce’s “attitude” on the field. Kelce was seen speaking to head coach, Andy Reid, during the second quarter of the game in a seemingly aggressive way. The topic had an overall negative sentiment towards Kelce. In his podcast following the game, he stated “I immediately wished I took it back”. 

A topic that also produced a good amount of discussion was Beyonce and her announcement of new music being released during the super bowl half-time performance. Beyonce was also featured in the Verizon Super Bowl ad before sharing the announcement of new music for her Renaissance Album via social media. Usher’s half-time show was a hit and received a lot of positive feedback on social channels, but during his halftime performance Beyonce dropped two songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”. 

Despite the added element of Beyonce sharing new songs. Usher did experience a lot of positive feedback following his performance at the Super Bowl. 

One of the other topics of conversation that produced a lot of conversation on social media channels was the 30 second series of ads purchased by the State of Israel. Many viewers were shocked to see this and took to social media to discuss the ads. Of note in conversations, a 30 second ad at this year’s Super Bowl cost approximately 7 million. The series of ads used a hashtag, #BringThemHomeNow, to bring attention to the 136 Israeli hostages that were being held by Hamas. 

In the past week, since Super Bowl LVIII, there have been a total of 9.98 million mentions with a reach of 121.32 billion. It has been determined that Super Bowl LVIII was the most watched Super Bowl to date. Collectively between the streaming platforms used, CBS Television Network, Paramount+, Nickelodeon, Univision, NFL+, there were 123.4 million viewers on average.

Author: Lexi Merriman

The Kansas City Chiefs will be facing off against the San Francisco 49ers in the 58th Annual Super Bowl. This year’s game will be broadcast live from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas and is set to take place on Sunday, February 11th, 2024 at 6:30 PM. To get to the Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers took on the Detroit Lions, winning 34-31 and the Kansas City Chiefs took on the Baltimore Ravens, winning 17-10 to earn their respective places in the Super Bowl. Since the announcement of both teams that would be playing in the Super Bowl, social media conversations have taken off in anticipation. Ranging in conversations about the official Super Bowl program cover, jersey color choices of each team, and player execution throughout the game. 

Among the most frequently discussed names within the conversations are: Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy, and Usher. 

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have been heavily discussed throughout the Chief’s season, receiving criticism for their new relationship affecting Kelce’s performance on the field. This appears to remain true for the Super Bowl

Further driving more conversations, each quarterback on the two teams, Brock Purdy and Patrick Mahomes, have also produced a good amount of controversy and support about their individual performances. 

Usher will be headlining the 59th Super Bowl half-time show. Interestingly, one of the most commonly discussed topics of conversation surrounding the Super Bowl, the half-time show, has not produced a lot of conversation this year. However, following in suit with past years, Super Bowl commercials that are shown throughout the game are generating a lot of conversation. In particular, Paramount + has been a key area that fans have hosted conversations in. 

Since both teams were determined to be playing on Jan 28th, the topic has had a total of 1.86 million mentions and a reach of 35.75 billion. The top amount of mentions were concentrated to January 28th with 707,963 mentions. The social platforms most frequently used to facilitate conversation about the teams and their players are X, news outlets, Reddit, and TV broadcasts.

As the Super Bowl draws near, it is expected millions will be gathered around to see the game, the commercials, the drama, and the half-time show. Last year alone, the Super Bowl topped records with over 115.1 million viewers tuned in to see some portion of the event, more than any other Super Bowl in the past. Sunday night football can’t come soon enough this weekend.

Author: Alexis Merriman

On May 16, 1929, the first Academy Awards were hosted honoring film released August 1, 1927 through August 1, 1928. Since then, the Academy Awards (commonly known as the Oscars) have been a longstanding tradition and highly anticipated event in the cinema industry. Created to highlight some of the best achievements made in the art of film, recipients of the award receive golden statuettes signifying their success. In preparing for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10th, 2024, we look at several nominees that have been highlighted by the Academy and have generated several hot topic conversations on social media. 

Overall, since their release on Tuesday, January 23rd, 2024, conversations regarding the release of nominations from the Academy have 1.14 million mentions and a reach of 12.59 billion. X, new sources, Reddit and Instagram are the social platforms most used in these conversations. Conversations peaked on January 23rd with the announcement of the nominees at 8:30 AM with 705,539 mentions. 

One of the biggest topics of conversation was surrounding the nomination of the Barbie movie and its actors. The movie was released in July of 2023 and deemed a re-make of an iconic movie that pushes cultural norms and is supportive of feminism. The lead actors were Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, America Ferrera and Will Ferrell. Collectively, Barbie was nominated for eight Oscars, but the controversy came with the actors who did received a nomination. Ryan Gosling was nominated for Best Actor and America Ferrera was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Conversations regarding Margot Robbie not receiving a nomination was collectively one of the main complaints with an overall negative sentiment on social platforms. 

Oppenheimer was another film that was a topic of conversation among the announcements of Oscar nominations. The movie, which focuses on the race to create the first atomic bomb surrounding World War II, received the most nominations with a grand total of thirteen. When the film hit theaters, it consistently topped records. It overcame another movie’s seven year long streak in the box office, achieving a gross total of nearly $1 billion. 

Two other topics of conversation among social media users were regarding promotion of feminism, while “throwing other women under the bus”. Lily Gladstone, was the first Native American Woman to be nominated for the best actress award and Justine Triet was the only female director nominated this year for the Anatomy of a Fall. The big controversy came in that not all conversations were based on the two women’s success in being nominated. Instead, social media conversations focused on how it was disappointing that most people were taking away from her opportunity to highlight that Margot Robbie was not nominated. 

Given the high volume of conversation and controversy regarding the announcement of the nominees, many people are anxiously awaiting the announcement of winners when the 96th Annual Academy Awards take place on March 10th, 2024.

Author: Lexi Merriman 

Known as a major tourist attraction in Olympic Valley, California, the Palisades Tahoe ski resort became a key conversation on social media when tragedy struck not once, but twice. Palisades Tahoe is one of the largest ski resorts in the California Lake Tahoe region. The resort was in the middle of its primary ski season (November 22nd, 2023- late spring 2024) and a large-scale snowstorm when the first of two avalanches occurred. 

Conversations on the event occurred across a variety of media platforms with X, Reddit, and Facebook being the primary social media platforms where conversation took place. TV and news platforms (ABC7- San Francisco, Fox11- Los Angeles, TIME Magazine, etc.) also had a high number of conversations regarding the ski resort’s avalanches. Overall, since January 10th, the topic has over 18.94k mentions and has had a reach of 534.02 million. The conversations peaked on January 10th, 2024 around 9:30 AM. 

The first avalanche occurred on Jan. 10th, around 9:30 AM in the GS Gully area of the mountain, right near the well known KT-22 chairlift. The slide occurred below the lift and took in four people, injuring three and killing one. Twenty-seven hours later, another avalanche occurred on the Alpine Meadows area of the mountain by the Wolverine Bowl. No one was injured in the second avalanche. 

Fortunately, several good hearted individuals found themselves in the right place at the right time during the first avalanche to assist in helping those swept and buried. Individuals at the scene took to social media, sharing their experience in rescuing those on the mountain. 

Palisades Tahoe is known to be a good mountain for moderate to advanced skiers due to the  advanced ski/snowboarding routes offered. There are several steep groomers and runs with steep ungroomed terrain. Avalanches in resort areas, though dangerous anywhere, hold more concern because mountain goers often aren’t equipped with avalanche safety/protective gear. With the varying grades and snowpack levels at Palisades, these concerns held true as ski patrol took to the mountain following the avalanche. 

Jason Parker, one of the individuals buried in the event spoke to his experience, stating “It just buried me so quick”. 

Experts have since pointed to “complicated snowpack” as the suspected reason for the avalanche. Snowpacks are areas where snow has fallen and hasn’t melted due to below freezing temperatures. Complicated snowpacks occur where the snowpack goes from thick to thin rapidly. In areas where the snowpack is thinner, it can be easy to trigger events where snow shifts (for example: avalanches). 

Allegations against the Palisades Tahoe resort have been suspended as the resort has released that they did not use explosives on the day the avalanche occurred (aka, “bombing the run”). 

The CEO of the resort, Dee Byrne, commented that it was a “very sad day for my team and everyone here”.

Author: Lexi Merriman

Over the years, the PGA Tour has held names such as Phil Mickelson, Arnold Palmer, Greg Norman, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. Upheld as the gold standard within the sport of professional golfing, reviews and ratings for the PGA Tour are at an all time high. CBS reported an average of 2.59 million viewers for PGA Tour events in 2023 which was a 4% increase YoY, according to Josh Sim with SportsPro Media. Recently, the organization has found itself a part of one of the most controversial topics nationwide as news of a merger between the PGA Tour and LIV Golf came to light in June of 2023.

Since 1968, the PGA Tour has held as the dominant league and organization for professional golf. The idea of competing golf leagues arose in 2019 with the announcement of the Premier Golf League (PGL) which had its inaugural launch in the 2023 season. An additional competing organization, LIV Golf, was founded in 2021 and held its inaugural season in 2022. LIV Golf has been known to persuade players to leave the PGA Tour and join their new organization that is primarily funded by the Saudi Arabia government’s sovereign wealth fund: the Public Investment Fund (PFI). With the creation of these alternate organizations, players became trading pawns as they were encouraged to change alliances and at times be banned from leagues, events, and tournaments. Prior to June 2023, many antitrust claims/lawsuits had been filed between PGA Tour and LIV Golf and additionally, letters of disapproval were sent from PGL to both PGA Tour and LIV Golf.

Social Media conversations surrounding this new merger have been controversial for many different reasons. Collectively, the topic had over 235.31K mentions and an overall negative sentiment among users. The conversation on the topic peaked on June 6th, with the announcement of an agreement between PGA Tour and LIV Golf which would combine the two organizations’ commercial businesses and rights into a new for-profit entity. 

Conversations entailed criticism for the PGA Tour/ Commissioner, Jay Monahan, for the insensitivity of the merger to the 9/11 community, commentary on former President Donald Trump’s predictions on the merger, and overall thoughts on the deal.

In light of the news of a merger that would drastically change golf’s current governance structure, several other implications came about. The merger announcement implied all prior litigation between the two organizations would end, player recruitment would end, the PIF would be making capital investments in the new for-profit entity, and new (unequal) governance structures would take place for the board of directors. The announcement resulted in bipartisan scrutiny among legislators as they brought up Saudi Arabia’s poor human rights and antitrust issues that would emerge if it came to fruition. Players also retaliated upon hearing of the deal and now argue for more power in the new entity. A senate subcommittee hearing was held on July 11th, 2023 regarding the matter. 

Most recently, PGA Tour commissioner, Jay Monahan has admitted miscalculations in the announcement and taken responsibility for the misinformation and issues with the rollout of the merger to LIV Golf. However, he stated “But ultimately the move that we made is the right move for the PGA Tour and I firmly believe that. As we go forward, time will bear that out. It was the right move”. 

According to Bloomberg News, the merger deal will be delayed past its anticipated deadline of December 31st, 2023. Many publics remain eager to see the implications of the new entity, should it come to pass. 

Author: Lexi Merriman

Over the past two decades, Clemson University has received praises for its accomplishments as a public land grant university and for its rankings by the U.S. News and World Report and Wall Street Journal. This year, Clemson was named the best college in South Carolina by Niche and ranked number 25 in best public institutions in the nation according to the 2024 Wall Street Journal/College Pulse rankings. Conversations about Clemson continue to rise as the university progresses in varying projects like the development of new programs, interdisciplinary collaborations on campus, and top ranking sporting teams. 

Conversations on the release of Clemson’s ranking with the Wall Street Journal peaked on September 13th, 2023 and had a reach of 658.47 K and 123 mentions. The majority of conversations surrounding the announcement had a positive sentiment and key words of discussion indicated praises of the university’s leadership in achieving the ranking. Jim Clements, President of Clemson University, created the most conversation on the topic with his statement regarding the rankings.

In addition to the national recognition the university received this month, Clemson has also had great achievements in women’s soccer. As of September 17th, 2023, Clemson women’s soccer was ranked no. 6 in NCAA Division 1. The team held their season opener against the university’s in-state rival South Carolina on Thursday, August 17th, 2023. Since the start of the season, @clemsonwsoccer has had a reach of 4.87 million with 445 mentions and an overall positive sentiment.

Prior to moving up in ranking, conversations peaked for Clemson Women’s Soccer on September 7th, 2023. The team was ranked no. 9 in the matchup against No. 7 Arkansas. Following the big win over Arkansas, overwhelming support has been seen for the team on social media. In general, the team’s support is visible on multiple social media platforms. 

Conversations continue to peak with every game the Clemson Women’s Soccer Team completes and the overall sentiment surrounding the team indicates the community looks forward to seeing what the Tigers will do during the final matches of the season. The Tigers are set to take on their next opponent (Syracuse) on September 30th, 2023. 

The university has also announced their participation in a collaborative effort with the Medical University of South Carolina and the University of South Carolina in the creation of a first-of-its-kind Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. The announcement of this research facility came alongside the announcement of $10 million coming from in-state funding announced by legislators to aid in the project. Conversations are starting to pick up as the university begins this project with other top state research institutions. Clemson’s post alone on this effort has had a reach of 20.9 K and other participating institutions are promoting the Center as well. Read more about the partnership here: 

As Clemson University nears the middle of the fall semester, community members remain excited about what’s to come for the new programs and projects, as well as, how sports teams will perform.

Author: Lexi Merriman