The document analyzes the social media and public response following Taoiseach Brian Cowen's live radio interview on September 14, 2010. It outlines the rapid dissemination of content, including discussions on various forums, tweets, and parody videos, which collectively garnered significant views and engagement within just a few days. The aftermath saw a surge in press articles and a noticeable shift in public perception, leading to an apology from Cowen on the evening news.

1. Analysis of a Tweet An Taoiseach records radio interview on Morning Ireland 14 th Sept 2010

2. Brian Cowen - Morning Ireland 14 th Sept 2010 8:45am Brian Cowen’s interview is broadcast, live from Galway 8:55am www.Politics.ie members begin posting and 3 days later 7 separate discussions, with up to 5,000 views each 9:16am Simon Coveney Tweets. Re-tweeted 73 times in 2 days 9:46am www.boards.ie begins Cowen discussions. >1,000 posts, viewed over 55,000 times in 2 days. Afternoon: Parody songs and video posted on Youtube. 150,000 views in 2 days 15 hours following the interview, 457 articles were published in 26 countries. Sources from within the FF party in Galway, suggest that there was shock and confusion over the impact of the interview By the time Brian Cowen appears on the Six o’clock news on the 15 th , the public perception and impact was cemented There was no obvious attempt to manage the social media onslaught

3. Social media cascade Seconds Hours 1 Day 2 Days Taoiseach apologises on 6-1 news Number of views Interview Message boards Tweets Video distribution GLOBAL PRESS Minutes

4. Analysis of impact by medium Message boards Global press