Paper presented at the Association of Internet Researchers conference, Salford, 19-21 Oct. 2012.

1. #Eurovision:
Twitter as a Technology of
Fandom
Axel Bruns, Tim Highfield, and Stephen Harrington
ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation
Queensland University of Technology
Brisbane, Australia
a.bruns | t.highfield | s.harrington @ qut.edu.au
@snurb_dot_info | @timhighfield | @_StephenH
http://mappingonlinepublics.net/

2. TWITTER, TELEVISION, AND FANDOM
• Twitter and television:
– Key role for Twitter in second-screen activities
– Major peaks in Twitter activity around televised events
– Important factor in driving audiences back to live viewing
(http://yearinreview.twitter.com/en/tps.html)

3. TWITTER AND TELEVISION
• Four intersecting dimensions:
– Tweeting about TV
• Twitter as a virtual loungeroom, especially for live feedback
– Tweets as audience research
• Empirical evidence of ‘audiencing’ as it happens
– Tweeting for TV
• Direct incorporation into the show, especially live
– Twitter-enhanced ways of watching TV
• All of the above, and more – towards transmedia experiences
(Harrington, Highfield, & Bruns, 2012)

4. TELEVISION HASHTAGS (AND MORE)
• Hashtags:
– Key mechanism for connecting audiences
– Ability to reach beyond one’s personal follower network
• Hashtags and television:
– Often pre-advertised by shows and broadcasters,
or created ad hoc by audiences
– Easy for audiences to follow during the live broadcast
(but do they, or do they only participate without reading?)
• But also:
– Dedicated accounts related to a specific show
(broadcasters and celebrities; fans, including spoof accounts)

5. LIVE IS BACK
• Twitter and the live experience:
– Twitter is more effective for live coverage than Facebook:
• Short messages + public hashtags = more immediate reach
– Live audience communion around specific shows:
• Sports and other live events, but also first-run broadcasts
– Antidote to time-shifted viewing practices (PVRs etc.)
– Broadcasters back in control of viewers’ experience
– Sustaining a declining advertising market

6. #EUROVISION
• Eurovision Song Contest:
– Pan-European event, held since 1956
– Operated by European Broadcasting Union
– One song entry per country, live performance on the night
– Past winners include ABBA, Celine Dion, and Lordi
• 2012:
– Host city: Baku, Azerbaijan
– 42 countries participating; two semis + final event
– Votes from each country are tallied and decide winner
– Television audience: 100+ million world-wide
– Live broadcast throughout Europe; delayed in Australia

7. #EUROVISION AND TV
• Cult following:
– Change in audience attitudes over past decade
– From earnest contest to ironic detachment
– Eurovision as festival of pseudonational kitsch
– Strong gay audience at least since Dana International win
– Half-serious commentary on intra-EU relationships
– Broadcast in Australia by minority PSB SBS since 1986
• Terry Wogan:
– Long-standing BBC commentator (until 2008)
– Famous for snarky, acerbic commentary
– Similar tone adopted by many social media users

8. #EUROVISION, #SBSEUROVISION 2012
• Dates:
– Semi-final 1: 22 May 2012 (SBS: 25 May 2012)
– Semi-final 2: 24 May 2012 (SBS: 26 May 2012)
– Final: 26 May 2012 (SBS: 27 May 2012)
• Datasets:
– #Eurovision: 22-28 May 2012; 688k tweets; 271k users
– #esc: 22-28 May 2012; 167k tweets; 48k users
– ‘Eurovision’: 22-28 May 2012; 1.2m tweets; 509k users
– #SBSEurovision: 25-28 May 2012; 112k tweets; 20k users
– Most activity during live broadcasts themselves:
#Eurovision: 85%; #esc: 88%; #SBSEurovision: 98%

9. DISTRIBUTION OF ENGAGEMENT
Broadcast and date #eurovision #esc Broadcast and date #sbseurovision
Semi-final 1 214,579 tw, 47,416 tweets, Semi-final 1 39,950 tweets,
(22 May – 6 hours) 82,913 users 13,715 users (25 May) 8486 users
Semi-final 2 157,745 tw, 54,584 tweets, Semi-final 2 25,500 tweets,
(24 May – 6 hours) 50,771 users 15,215 users (26 May) 6175 users
Final 214,837 tw, 45,458 tweets, Final 45,213 tweets,
(26 May – 10 hours) 133,475 users 21,994 users (27 May) 10,093 users
Entire week 688,255 tw, 167,680 tw, Wider period 112,836 tweets,
(22-28 May) 271,826 users 48,546 users (25-28 May) 20,418 users
% tweets during 85.3% 87.9% % tweets during 98.1%* (shorter
broadcast periods broadcast periods period tracked)

10. 1000
1500
2000
2500
500
0
21:00
21:03
21:06
21:09
Montenegro
21:12
21:15
21:18
21:21 tweets per minute
21:24 Albania
21:27
21:30
21:33
21:36
21:39
21:42
21:45
21:48
21:51
21:54
21:57
22:00 Russia
22:03
22:06
22:09
22:12
22:15
#EUROVISION: SEMI-FINAL 1
22:18
Ireland
22:21
22:24
22:27
22:30
22:33
22:36
22:39
22:42
22:45
22:48
22:51
22:54
22:57 Russia and Ireland advance
23:00

11. (http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=27713)
RUSSIA

12. (http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=27733)
IRELAND

13. 1000
1200
200
400
600
800
0
20:40
20:43
20:46
20:49
20:52
20:55
20:58 Albania
21:01 tweets per minute
21:04
21:07
21:10
21:13
21:16
21:19
21:22 Switzerland
21:25
21:28
San Marino
21:31
21:34
21:37 Russia
21:40
21:43
21:46
21:49
21:52 Austria
21:55
21:58
22:01
Ireland
22:04
#SBSEUROVISION: SEMI-FINAL 1
22:07
22:10
22:13
22:16
22:19
22:22
22:25
22:28
22:31
22:34 Results / technical problems
22:37
22:40

14. 1000
1200
1400
200
400
600
800
0
21:00
21:04
21:08
21:12
21:16
21:20
21:24 Albania / Lithuania
21:28
21:32
21:36
Russia
21:40
tweets per minute
21:44
21:48
21:52
21:56
Estonia
22:00
22:04
22:08
22:12
22:16 Greece
22:20
22:24
22:28
22:32
Spain
22:36
#EUROVISION: FINAL
22:40
22:44
22:48
Ireland
22:52
22:56 Ukraine
23:00
23:04 Start of voting period
23:08
23:12
23:16
End of voting period
23:20
23:24
23:28
23:32 Results tally starts
23:36
23:40
23:44
23:48
23:52
23:56
0:00
0:04
0:08 Mr. Lordi: Finnish results
0:12
0:16
0:20
0:24
0:28

15. 1000
1200
200
400
600
800
0
19:30
19:35
19:40
19:45
19:50
19:55
20:00
20:05
20:10
20:15 Russia
tweets per minute
20:20
20:25 France
20:30 Italy
20:35
20:40
20:45
20:50
20:55 Romania
21:00
21:05
21:10 Sweden / Turkey
21:15
21:20
21:25
Malta
21:30
21:35 Ireland
21:40
#SBSEUROVISION: FINAL
21:45 Ukraine
21:50
21:55
22:00
22:05
22:10
22:15
22:20
22:25
22:30
22:35
22:40
22:45
22:50
22:55 Mr. Lordi: Finnish results
23:00
23:05
23:10
23:15
23:20
23:25
23:30

16. MR. LORDI: FINNISH RESULTS
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npQ8LpV2jG0)

17. (http://www.eurovision.tv/page/history/year/participant-profile/?song=27943)
THE WINNER: SWEDEN

18. #EUROVISION, 22-28 MAY 2012
Spain
Turkey
Greece
Serbia
Sweden
Jedward
Malta France
Albania
UK
Human Rights Italy
Ireland
(indegree 10+)

19. #ESC, 22-28 MAY 2012
Sweden
Sweden
Serbia
Sweden
Italy
Germany
Austria
(indegree 10+)

20. NOTABLE RESULTS
• Hashtag divergence:
– #Eurovision vs. #esc: Europe vs. Sweden, Germany, …
– Different lead users for each hashtag community
– Performers and broadcaster accounts prominent
– Language differences, but also interconnections
• #SBSEurovision:
– Separate hashtag for delayed telecast
– Effective at least for Australian east coast audiences (AEST):
substantial ‘live’ audience in spite of pre-determined outcome
– Limited engagement by central / western viewers, due to further
timezone differences

21. NOTABLE RESULTS
• Terry Wogan’s legacy continues:
– Strong focus on (quasi-) comedy acts (e.g. Russia, Ireland)
– Clear evidence of ironic viewer detachment (and ironic voting?)
– Comedians prominent amongst most retweeted accounts:
RT @Queen_UK: Ok people, get voting for Greece. If
only for the look on the faces of European central
bankers. #eurovision
– But also reactions against national stereotyping:
Do you enjoy casual racism? Join the Twitter
conversation at #SBSeurovision

22. FURTHER OUTLOOK
• Opportunities for broadcasters:
– Strong engagement by audiences:
• Possibility for more direct incorporation of tweets
– Important to understand diverging motivations for participation:
• E.g. general audiences vs. dedicated fans of specific acts
• Open questions:
– Who is represented here?
• Dedicated fans may seek to game the system
– Depth vs. breadth of engagement:
• Few highly active users or many less active participants?
 Potential distinction between ‘fandom’ and ‘audiencing’

23. http://mappingonlinepublics.net/
@snurb_dot_info
@jeanburgess
@_StephenH
@DrTNitins
@timhighfield
@cdtavijit