Contestants Talk and So Do Social Media Users. Listing to Social Media Conversations Around the First Four Episodes of Survivor 46.

Season 46 of Survivor premiered on February 28^th. Now, four episodes into the season, conversations about the show are becoming plentiful online. In total, #Survivor46 has been used over 73 thousand times and reached over 184 million users since premiere day. Obviously, conversations using #Survivor46 peak on Wednesdays, the days episodes air, but each episode has generated a different amount of conversation. The premiere day had over 10 thousand mentions, the subsequent two Wednesdays had a little over seven and six thousand mentions respectively, while the most recent episode had a significant spike with over 20 thousand mentions. That being said, there is clearly much to talk about with this new season despite it just starting. 

Some of the top themes of the discussion include Jelinsky, Jess, and Venus who are all contestants on this current season. Jelinsky was eliminated in episode one, Jess was eliminated in episode two, but Venus is still in the running and has been a dynamic character across these first four episodes.

Looking further at the metrics surrounding these conversations, the majority of these discussions have taken place on X. Further, the users participating in these discussions are one third women and two thirds men. Additionally, the United States is far and away the most central place that these online discussions have taken place in. However, the second most represented country in these conversations has been India which is likely due to the fact that one of the most represented contestants on this season in these first four episodes has been Bhanu Gopal, an Indian native. Bhanu also contributed to the spike in conversation during the fourth episode as he was the main character across the edit and eventually eliminated after a significant breakdown.

Despite this showing Bhanu had, overall Survivor 46 has so far been discussed at a split of almost 59% positively and 41% negatively. In fact, most of the negative mentions of this season have to do with how social media users perceive the treatment of the women on the cast by the other contestants. 

On the other hand, many of the contestants this season have been well received as the characters that they have been presented as and that is what is being celebrated in the positive mentions of the show.

Some top influencers in these conversations over the past four weeks include Janelle Pierzina, a realty television star most known for her appearances on Big Brother and The Traitors, Eliza Orlins, and Hai Giang, both of whom are former Survivor contestants. This is a common finding when looking at conversations surrounding reality television shows as these people are figureheads for these topics.

As the competition for the one million dollars continues on, one thing is certain: social media users are going to continue to talk about these contestants as they continue to battle one another each Wednesday night this spring. Who will be the next big theme across these conversations? Only time will tell.

Author: Ben Katarzynski