Twiststl

In response to the 2010 Grammy’s surge in ratings, a recent article on Mashable posed the question, Did Social Media Play a Role? It’s quite obvious that the answer is a resounding yes, and to be perfectly honest, it’s really no big surprise. Entertainers are some of the most prolific users of social media, and with members of the music industry Tweeting in the days, hours, and minutes leading up to the event and all the way through it, it would have been pretty difficult for fans to ignore the buzz. Grammy viewers added to the social media storm as they Tweeted and updated Facebook statuses voicing their thoughts on performances and award winners.  

Social media, however, isn’t the sole reason for the increase in ratings. These days, performers are so wildly over the top that audiences can’t help but tune in. The draw of witnessing what stunt Lady Gaga will pull next or what body part Pink will leave exposed is undeniable even for those that don't claim to be fans. Performers have become experts at making themselves a marketable brand, using Twitter and Facebook as important marketing tools. When a celebrity with a large following Tweets or updates his or her Facebook status their reach could potentially match or exceed that of a daily newspaper. Lady Gaga currently has 2,608,471 followers on Twitter. That exceeds the circulation of The New York Times, the USA Today, and even The Wall Street Journal.

Being able to get a message out to the public is great, but it’s not inherently important. What makes social media and the phenomenon of “following” so exciting is their potential to drive change. People with large followings have the means to do something as important as generate and organize relief efforts following a natural disaster or do something as seemingly insignificant as get people to turn on their televisions. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that with social media, individuals with large followings have the potential to change the world.

A common misconception about social networking sites is that young people are the only ones using them; however, a new report by eMarketer on social media adoption among different generations proves otherwise. According to the data, in 2009 nearly 47% of Baby Boomers were active on Facebook, compared to 15% in 2008.

It’s not surprising that Baby Boomers are adopting Facebook and becoming increasingly avid users given the opportunity it provides to reconnect with people from their past and even their way past. Once Boomers realize that they can find their best friend from third grade or their crush from summer camp, Facebook can become somewhat of an addiction, allowing them to indulge in nostalgic remembrances. After all, the adults we are at present are a result of the experiences we’ve had throughout our lives.

 By the time we reach middle age, we’ve made friends from different stages in our lives, and when we connect with these friends on Facebook and upload pictures, we are literally able to take a walk down memory lane and reminisce. There are even groups like “Memories of Growing up in Cleveland in the 60s and 70s” being created for the specific purpose of reconnecting with one’s roots. Using Facebook for the purpose of reconnecting makes it an incredibly rich experience. I’d venture to argue that it’s more meaningful to those of us that are middle-aged than the twenty-something’s that use it to post pictures form last weekends parties.

Since Apple’s unveiling of its iPad, it has been virtually impossible to visit any news or social media website without being inundated with information on the new product. While the Twitterverse was all buzz about the release of the touch screen tablet that is expected to revolutionize and revive print media, there was significantly less buzz about President Obama’s State of the Union Address. The annual speech typically garners a lot of media attention as pundits scrutinize and criticize the president’s every word. But this year, media coverage proved a bit lackluster, though not for lack of effort.

Bloggers have been speculating over whether overlap of the release and the address was somehow planned. In all likelihood, it was simply a coincidence as public relations announcements as big as Apple’s are planned far in advance. Techies and consumers have long been awaiting the arrival of the device. So what caused the influx of Tweets, Facebook updates and blog entries? Our take is that it was the price of the device that sparked the media frenzy. Expected to retail somewhere around $1000, the announcement of the $499 price tag proved that in the current market, consumers love a good deal. The iPad met, if not exceeded expectations in terms of functionality and aesthetics. At half of the expected price, the iPad became simply irresistible.

While Obama has just proposed a “spending freeze,” consumers have already implemented their own spending freezes in response to the poor economy. People have been tightening their belts for an extended period of time and are chomping at the bit to satisfy a longing for a new toy, and the pricing of the iPad put that toy within reach. This isn’t to say that Americans have become more enamored with new gadgets than the country’s political issues, but during hard times people look for something to take their minds off of their problems and the iPad does just that.

Watching the O’Brien/Leno debacle was reminiscent of watching a car crash: you’re horrified, but you just can’t turn away.  Jay Leno may have reclaimed his position as host of The Tonight Show, but with a little help from a good publicist Conan O’Brien’s career should be far from over. During his time as the host of Late Night with Conan O’Brien and his seven month stint on The Tonight Show, Conan amassed quite a following.  As the dust settles in the wake of the late night TV fiasco, his fans are left to wonder what he will do next.

Obviously, NBC could have handled the situation a bit more tactfully, but their PR flub is far from the biggest problem. The real issue at hand was the fact that NBC thought they could solve a ratings problem by returning Leno to his original time-slot. In the days before TiVo, DVRs and HULU that might have been an appropriate solution, but now that there are a myriad of ways that people can watch their favorite TV shows whenever they please, timing is not the issue.

As Conan takes his next steps, it will be interesting to see whether he will take advantage of the following he’s built up. His distinct brand of comedy is marketable with or without NBC, and with such a loyal fan base, Conan has the opportunity to reach his target audience of young adults on the internet. As more young people watch their favorite TV shows online, Conan could capitalize on the trend by starting a network online featuring his comedy. From there, he could sell syndication rights to his show to TV networks. There are a number of possibilities that internet videos provide, all Conan has to do is take advantage of them.