Social networking sites have become a source of instant, uncensored, free exchange of information and the impact this has had on pop culture, politics and businesses practices and marketing strategies is incredible.
The news of Michael Jackson’s cardiac arrest and ensuing death spread across the web like a wild fire. Without a doubt, Michael’s death had a huge global interest because of its impact on pop culture and its general interest appeal. It has been reported that over 30% of total Tweet volume in the hours during and after Michael’s death were related to the event and apparently Facebook, with its larger following, actually topped Twitters figures. The remarkable thing is this was all happening in real-time and before most of the major news outlets were reporting the occurrences. We knew when Michael was rushed to hospital, we then knew it was a possible cardiac arrest and then we were sadly aware that he had, indeed, passed away. But there are equally significant examples of the power of social media and how they can have an impact in politics and economics.
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