[Header image credit: Canva]
By Rita Mogilanski, Director, Strategy; Hannah Redmond, Group Strategy Director; and Chris Ee, Associate Director, Insights & Analytics
#ZuckerbergTestimony was a trending topic over the course of Zuckerberg’s two-day Congressional hearing, as it was heavily covered in real-time by traditional and digital news media outlets. Of course, it was also live streamed on Facebook.
After digging into the conversation surrounding the event on social media, we found that most conversations were about Zuckerberg himself, and specifically his demeanor. People seemed more interested in talking about his physical presence, including the emotional, cultural and human aspects of Zuckerberg rather than the actual content of his testimony.
Social media users carefully monitored and buzzed about his “robotic” reactions, lack of emotion, seat cushion, and even his water intake.
The internet also did what it does best: approximately 3,000 memes were created and shared during the two-day hearing.
Source: @Superherosteel
Source: @Kathy_C_
Source: @Michaelcraddo16
Google search behavior reflected more of the same. People searched on Google more about Zuckerberg himself than any of the issues related to or the content of the testimony.
Source: Google Trends
Despite the highly technical nature of Zuckerberg’s testimony, and the importance of the details for the future of internet privacy, the conversation was driven by the relatable, approachable, human elements of him. These results are a good reminder about what content resonates with consumers, and will drive conversation.
