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The twelve points from the internet go to… Written by on May 14, 2011 | 1 Comment

While the internet does not have its own vote on Eurovision (they all vote in their own country) the opinions and flow of chatter on the social networks could have an impact on the voting tonight .

Where will the “Social” douze points go?

There’s a lot of options out there, and earlier in the week the Latvian singers Musiqq racked up a huge number of video hits; Eric Saade’s team are sending multiple video messages and music clips to the press in the hope they will be posted; and the ESC Daily chat room has picked up peaks of viewers as various acts go on stage in the rehearsals.

But what about on the night? One of the key PR areas that will be interesting to watch is Twitter, and the messages that flow through the instant messaging service.

In 2009 independent measurements of Twitter revealed that during the three hours of the Eurovision Song Contest final being on air, over 10% of the tweets mentioned the Contest. Although Twitter has increased their users (even Keith Mills has an account now), you can be sure that just as many of them will be Eurovision fans.

When Europe is asked to vote, while many people will have spent hours deliberating which Eurovision song to  cast their text or phone call behind. But others will be more transitory, and this is where the media can come into play. But the online promotion could be  a huge influence for many.

The nature of voting is that people like to vote either for people they believe in, or vote for a winner (to be able to say they voted for them). In a sense the voting process can be seen as a process of affirmation, and an association with a tribe. What can give you that feeling at Eurovision? Passionate fans.

And now the article swings back to Jedward, because if there is a single performer at this year’s Contest with a following that defines the term fanatical, then it’s “Team Jedward”. They’ll be voting multiple times, will likely have bought extra Pay as you Go SIM cards to vault over the “X votes per phone number” limit and will make sure that everyone in their social circle, and all their friends, will know they’ve voted.

It wouldn’t surprise me if they got the voting lines for the 42 other countries in Europe and create ad-hoc groups to promote Lipstick to each country. Yes, they’re that dedicated.

Twitter, Facebook and the rest of the social media world cannot directly vote in the Song Contest. But used correctly, it can have a huge impact on the votes in each country, and if the 2011 Contest is going to be as close as many in the press centre think it will be, the online discussions could be enough to swing

About The Author: Ewan Spence

British Academy (BAFTA) nominated broadcaster and writer Ewan Spence is the voice behind The Unofficial Eurovision Song Contest Podcast and one of the driving forces behind ESC Insight. Having had an online presence since 1994, he is a noted commentator around the intersection of the media, internet, technology, mobility and how it affects us all. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, his work has appeared on the BBC, The Stage, STV, and The Times. You can follow Ewan on Twitter (@ewan) and Facebook (facebook.com/ewanspence).

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One response to “The twelve points from the internet go to…”

  1. Anthony says:

    I hope that Jedward don’t win through using numbers from countries in whihc they have no fans. It would defeat the whol object of the contest and would make them a very bad act in the eyes of some. I would prefer one of the better acts like the United Kingdom, Hungary or even Denmark to win through a fair vote rather than a mass votes by Team Jedward.

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