Super Bowl XLVII unifies viewers over social media
Social media outlets were abuzz with tweets and Facebook posts during Beyonce’s show-stopping performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl game in New Orleans. (Photo Courtesy of GoogleImages.com)
By AnnaMarie Houlis, Web Editor
Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans, Sunday, brought our nation together via social media, spectators said. The Ravens’ 34-31 win over the 49ers is the most tweeted about game thus far, as it gave the 160 million expected viewers a lot to talk about, they added.
Despite the enduring war on terror and domestic debates regarding gun control and healthcare that divide our country into red and blue states, viewers said the Super Bowl allowed the country to join in a shared spirit. “The Newtown students’ performance at the Super Bowl made the country overlook the gun control debate and focus on respect for everyone who suffered directly,” said Sophomore Maria Lombardi. “It unified our whole country as it was a common tragedy that affected everyone in our nation and could happen to anyone.”
The hashtag, AmericaTheBeautiful, was trending, Sunday, when twenty-six choir students from Newtown, Connecticut, where a gunman killed twenty first-graders and six staff members December 14th, sang “America the Beautiful” in the Superdome.
This came immediately before Alicia Keys performed one of the longest renditions of the National Anthem, clocking in at two minutes and 40 seconds. Facebook statuses commented on the “thoughtfulness” of her performance.
Though Americans were strewn amongst the country, watching from different homes on different couches, social media created a virtual community that facilitated unison among viewers. The accessibility to Twitter and Facebook through the Smartphone, iPad and even laptop has made cyber communication easier and allowed conversation with almost immediate responses (as if face-to-face) to be had between those watching the game.
“I felt everyone was together—we were all in one room watching the game. I’d have the same reactions as other people’s tweets and people would respond to my tweets as if we were having a conversation,” said Senior, Jessica Coviello, who watched the game from work. She said she used her iPhone 4 to send tweets while she watching the game simultaneously. “It was very casual.”
Senior, Ashley Logan said, “[People want to] see what others are thinking and then write their own opinions—which is actually kind of ironic because if they want to find out opinions, there are hundreds of people around them.”
Regardless, the Super Bowl XLVII saw more than 24 million social media conversations on Twitter, Facebook, etc. for the duration of the game, according to Social News Daily.
According to SF Gate Blog, the power outage was the most-talked about part of the Super Bowl on Twitter, generating 231,500 tweets per minute. It only took four minutes for tweets to pervade the Internet, and a satire account speaking for the Superdome’s lights to be created. For the 34 minutes that 76,000 people sat in the dark at the Superdome, the country bonded and laughter was shared throughout the nation as jokes about Beyoncé’s performance causing the power outage were made.
“It’s such a highly visual event, that when those visuals go out people need to supplement it somehow,” Logan said. “And rather than talking to the people around them, it’s easier to pull out their phones.”
And more than six million (about 32 percent) of the social conversations made, some from phones, were about Beyoncé.
According to Twitter statistics, Beyoncé and her Destiny’s Child sisters Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, generated 5.5 million tweets—accounting for a quarter of all tweets broadcasted in the entire duration of the game.
“Destiny’s Child really made it. They were a big deal when we were younger—an icon— and the fact that they broke up and, years later, performed at the Super Bowl was shocking in a good way,” said Sophomore, Becky Utzinger. “It was like a flashback down memory lane.”
Even stars including Kim Kardashian and the politically elite such as Michelle Obama were among the rest, tweeting, “OMG Beyonce killed it!!! And when Destiny’s Child came out…that made my life!”#Bootylicious” and “Watching the #SuperBowl with family & friends. @Beyonce was phenomenal! I am so proud of her!”
“The half time show brings different demographics of people together because when you put together America’s favorite sport on top of a show with one of the world’s most amazing female artists, everybody wants a part of the night—not just football fans,” Coviello said.
Another reason for people to tune in is the Super Bowl commercials. Viewers said they anticipated this aspect of the night.
Davis Briones, 21, a former football player from Pompton Lakes, New Jersey added, “Everyone knows that they’re suppose to be the best commercials of the year.”
Of the top 10 most discussed ads, GoDaddy’s “Perfect Match” had a significant lead over the competition with 255,121 social mentions, but had, by far, the most negative reaction. Tide’s “Miracle Stain” came in seventh place of most discussed ads with 55,770 social mentions, with the most positive audience reaction.
Approximately 50 percent of national broadcast commercials featured a hashtag.
“It’s a decent way of marketing; if we don’t see the commercial, were going to see the tweet later,” Junior Josh Griffiths commented.
