Social Media Observatory

Superstorm Sandy, the presidential election, Red Bull’s Stratos space jump — what do they all have in common? Millions of people watched or uploaded video of them to YouTube this year “When something big happens in the world, the YouTube community responds,” wrote YouTube Director of Content Partnerships for News and Education Tom Sly in a blog post Wednesday “Our news partners race to get footage live on the site,”…

So long, spuds. Catch ya later, yams. Go forth and multiply, green beans. The most popular side dish at Thanksgiving, as rated by the number of mentions on Twitter and Facebook in recent months, is a turkey’s best friend: stuffing. Out of

We all remember the cliques that made up high school — the jocks, the brains, the cheerleaders and the marching band. Each had their own interests and personalities that set them apart. So let’s just call social media the high school of

YouTube dethroned Facebook as the hottest tech brand in the social media world last week, according to data aggregator Starcount. Another tech giant, Google, ranked third; its high placement is due to the many views on its YouTube channel

Receiving and responding to a Facebook notification makes you feel good, but does that mean you’re on your way toward Facebook addiction? More About: Internet addiction, mental health, popular science, psychology, trending

Are you one of the lucky employees whose job revolves around social media? Then stay logged in to Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest. If not, your social media recreation could be costing the U.S. economy $650 billion per year — or $4,452 per com

Approximately 18% of the top 1,000 blogs on Tumblr are fashion-related, but on YouTube, less than 1% of the top 1,000 shows are about fashion. That’s according to Tumblr CEO David Karp and OpenSlate Studios, which developed the infographi

Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi. Soda’s forever war. The never-ending bubble battle. It’s a rivalry that goes way back — Coca-Cola’s been around since 1886 and Pepsi was created in 1898 — and social media is just the latest front. But how do they

Justin Bieber is the pop artist who follows the most of his music contemporaries on Twitter, from Katy Perry and Taylor Swift to Kayne West, while Lady Gaga is a lot more selective with whom she follows on the site. Ticketing site ClickIt

If you’re debating the power of social media for branding, here’s more proof that it matters: About 50% percent of consumers think a brand’s Facebook page is more useful than a brand’s website, a new study suggests. Market research co