BY GREGORY FERENSTEIN, FAST COMPANY
From Crimson Hexagon, the social media analysis firm that dispelled the myth of the Verizon iPhone exodus and Sharon Angle’s 2010 Senate sweep, comes a truer-to-life snapshot of the world’s reaction to Osama Bin Laden’s death. Nearly 50% of social media reaction wasn’t simple jubilation, but rather a mixture of fear, humor, and solemn remembrance. This sophisticated look is thanks to Crimson Hexagon’s unique semantic analysis algorithm, which begins with actual humans coaching an automatic process into recognizing, not just positive and negative reaction, but the nuanced expressions that distinguishes humor from celebration, and revulsion from sadness.
After 10 years of anxiety, news of Osama Bin Laden’s death burst onto the social media scene, and flooded Twitter with the highest record of tweets per second ever. Sunday night’s enthusiasm seeped into every related topic–including a spike of activity on the Navy SEALs Facebook page. It was, perhaps, more than any other event in recent memory social. Real-life, spontaneous gatherings at Ground Zero and the White House captured headlines.
To read more, visit: http://www.fastcompany.com/1751388/bin-laden-reaction-nearly-50-fear-humor-and-reflection
