During the last World Cup in 2014, Twitter found a universal rhythm of social media during penalty kicks. As a player sets the ball, the rate of tweets slows, and decelerates further when the referee blows the whistle. By the time the shooter begins the approach, there is a quiet vacuum on the site. Then the result of the kick ignites an explosion of reactions across the world’s timelines.
At this summer’s World Cup, Twitter analyzed the cadence of tweets in more granular detail than the penalty kick study. The company confirmed that fans reach for their devices after goals and at pauses in the action—and even found hints of the differences between fans of different countries.
Twitter shared with SportTechie some of its findings for Brazilian fans during the South American team’s knockout round win over Mexico, and for English fans during both that country’s victory over Colombia in the round of 16 and its loss to Croatia in the semifinal.
Both groups of fans showed marked increases in tweets during breaks such as halftime and before extra time, as well as within five minutes of each goal and within 30 minutes of a match’s conclusion.
The largest jump in Twitter usage occurred in Brazil soon after a goal was scored, perhaps reflecting an especially celebratory atmosphere of a country with a great tradition of success at the World Cup. That bump was true for three major subdivisions of users—everyone who tweeted in the month of June (usage after a goal was up 68 percent), everyone who tweeted about sports that month (up 75 percent), and everyone who specifically tweeted about the World Cup (up 77 percent).
Mexican fans, incidentally, came to Twitter in huge numbers after the conclusion of the game, writing “gracías” to thank El Tri for a good run.
After #MEX elimination, we saw a sudden spike of Tweets w/ "gracias", as fans came to Twitter to thank their team.
Después de la eliminación de #MEX, notamos un incremento en los Tweets mencionando la palabra “Gracias” de parte de los fans, mexicanos agradeciendo a su selección. pic.twitter.com/owpFYdRAix
— Twitter Data (@TwitterData) July 2, 2018
A flood of tweets went out across the British Isles prior to England’s semifinal match, as shown on this Twitter map.
How #ENG is cheering for their team in the hour heading into #CROENG https://t.co/yIic1DO5tM pic.twitter.com/TA4HapM9z4
— Twitter Data (@TwitterData) July 11, 2018
Compared to Brazil, however, the post-goal Twitter activity in the U.K. was more subdued. The increase was roughly 40 percent for each segment in England’s match against Colombia and only about 30 percent in the semifinal against Croatia. Perhaps that hints at the famous English soccer nerves. The real increases in Twitter usage occurred following both matches, soaring in triumph after the game against Colombia (about 75 percent across the board) and in commiseration after Croatia (nearly 85 percent).
