By Stephanie Park
As I watched the closing ceremony of the Olympics last night, I couldn’t help but wonder what the hot topics would be around the office water cooler the next day. But if I really wanted to clue in on the most talked about events, it would be impossible to avoid the conversation with a quick glance at my computer.
Whether it was the real-time updates via Twitter or Facebook, NBC’s media coverage or those pesky spoilers on content aggregators like Google News, no one can deny the influence of digital media on this year’s Olympic Games.
According to Jake Coyle of the AP, there is a growing belief – although difficult to prove – that social media networks are increasing television audiences for larger events like the Olympics, the Oscars, telethons, etc. I don’t know about you, but this makes perfect sense to me. I can recall moments where a friend’s update or newsfeed has caused me to reach for the remote and I don’t think I am alone here.
It looks like NBC has bought into this theory as well with their creation of an Olympic Pulse sub-site, tracking athlete tweets, trending topics and news-related blogs. It remains a mystery to calculate how these social media efforts have contributed to Vancouver’s distinction as the second most-watched Winter Games in history, but one thing can be certain though in measuring the effectiveness of digital media communication for TV executives – it doesn’t hurt to try.
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