#Pontifexit: The Pope’s Resignation & Social Media
As soon as word got out about Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation, the Twitter and Facebook statistics started piling up. What was the general consensus in social media? Let’s take a look!
The first thing I read about the Pope’s resignation on February 28th was, naturally, on Twitter, minutes after the news had been released. Seconds later I saw the first humurous Pope-related hashtag appear: #Pontifexit. The social media mania had begun.
In only 12 hours an unbelievable amount of social media traffic surrounding the Pope’s resignation popped up. More than one million mentions have been counted.
Twitter accounts for 93% of the mentions, but there have also been over 31,300 mentions on Facebook, and over 4,500 blog mentions. Most of these Twitter mentions were negative, with numerous tweets containing humorous puns and jokes at the Pope’s expense.
The New Yorker, a magazine that often blogs about satirical made up subjects online, published an article (The Borowitz Report: The News Reshuffled) entitled “Pope’s Decision to Come Out of Retirement Stirs Controversy,” about the Pope’s return from retirement in less than 24 hours.
The fact he would lose all his Twitter followers if he quit, made him change his mind, stating:
“So it turns out I’m not infallible. #FTW.”
Other hilarious tweets:
But of course, there was also positive sentiment. The Pope, and his tweets, inspired many people:
My Opinion
I don’t necessarily care much for the Pope, or his resignation. But the fact that the news spread around the world in warp speed on Twitter, only enhances my love for social media and shows that getting news out there in a democratic way is easier than ever.
Mentions are only growing, of course. Social media truly shows that everyone likes giving their opinion, whether it is positive, or negative.
What About You?
What do you think of the Pope’s resignation and all the tweets that were posted during the time the news broke?
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About the author
Marion aan ‘t Goor is a Social Media Consultant at Share Force One. You can connect with Marion via Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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