The online community focused on two primary subjects last week – the passing of singer Michael Jackson and the continuing unrest in Iran. The reaction to the King of Pop’s death, along with stunning video of an Iranian woman referred to as “Neda,” demonstrated again not only the power of social media but the range of its use.
In a week in which no single event dominated blogs and social media, the results of a California referendum and the shooting of an up-and-coming rapper led the online conversation.
Coverage of the financial meltdown dropped to its lowest level in months last week as Somali pirates, a trip to Turkey, a deadly earthquake and a defiant missile launch dominated the news agenda. Is it a trend or an anomaly?
The economic crisis again dominated blogs and social media last week, as the conversation expanded from AIG to several different elements of the financial meltdown. And the most viewed video was an overseas variation on the same theme.
One week after Barack Obama’s swearing in, the battle over a stimulus plan restored the financial meltdown to a dominant role in the news agenda and triggered early questions about the President’s political skills. In the media narrative, the honeymoon chapter seemed over before it began.
The future of the automobile industry became a major component of the country’s ongoing economic problems last week, and speculation about Obama’s cabinet appointments reached a new level.