If you’re anything like me, you’ve been excited for the 2012 summer Olympics ever since the 2008 Beijing Games ended. Two weeks of records being broken, rivalries going head to head and wondering if these athletes are even human makes for the most entertaining time every four years. But out of all the hype, drama, and intensity surrounding the Olympics, see why the main focus has been on Social Media for the 2012 Olympic Games.
To put into perspective how much has changed in the world of social and mobile within the last four years since the 2008 Beijing Olympics, take a look at this chart below.
In regards to the big three- Facebook, Twitter and YouTube- the usage and members on these platforms has exploded since 2008. Facebook now has 900 million users whereas there were only 100 million during the Beijing games. The Olympics created their own Facebook Social Media Hub, connecting you to your favorite athletes, teams, sports, where to watch and more. Twitter now has more than 500 million users where sporting news regularly trends. Lastly, Olympic moments will go viral on YouTube as Team USA alone plans to upload five to ten videos per day during the Olympics.
On top of all that, breaking news today highlights Twitter, not Facebook, to partner with NBC to become the “official” narrator of the Olympics. Hundreds of people will spend 20 hours a day to organize millions of Tweets from athletes, fans, broadcasters and TV personalities into a single page on Twitter.com. This page will be heavily promoted by NBC and is the first time Twitter will serve as an official narrator for a live event. Twitter’s main agenda- attract a new audience to the network in the hopes of using the Olympics as a launch into a more sustainable business.
One of the most interesting ways social media will be used in the Olympics and something I can’t wait to see, involves one of London’s most famous icons. The London Eye will light up each night based on the sentiment of Olympic Tweets. The more enthusiastic the tweets, the brighter it gets. Learn more about this nightly Twitter show here.
What are you most looking forward to in the London 2012 Olympics a.k.a. the Social Media Games?
