Data Analysis | #BoycottBermuda Hashtag Use
The #BoycottBermuda hashtag has been recorded over 900 times in the past two months on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and various websites, according to an online tracking service.
We started tracking it when it first appeared in December 2017, and with the assistance of an online tracking service, compiled the relevant data below, spanning from December 8, 2017 to February 11, 2018.
Information Provides General Overview
For a number of reasons, this should only be taken in a general sense to provide an overview, not as strictly infallible data or as a direct indication of any actual number of cancellations.
While most of the usages of the hashtag are, obviously, urging people to boycott the island, usage of the hashtag does not always denote someone supporting a boycott campaign.
For example, seven instances are attributed to Bernews where we reported on it or readers left comments using it, and usages by other media are also included in the records, with four of the top five accounts that used the hashtag operated by the Huffington Post media outlet.
In addition, there are a few instances of people using the hashtag to defend Bermuda, and at least one instance of someone just ‘spamming’ the hashtag, as sometimes people use a popular hashtag to try and draw attention to their unrelated tweet.
Also, the system can only track publicly available social media pages, so if people have used it on their social media feeds that have been set to private/friends only their data will not be included, and many tweets about the matter do not contain the hashtag at all. While Facebook status updates using the hashtag appear to have been well tracked, the tracking of usage in comments left on someone else’s update is less clear.
This data only refers to #BoycottBermuda, not any other variables or typos which may be used, and looking at Twitter shows there are a few instances of similar hashtags such as #BermudaBoycott and #BoycottBermudas. To mention the opposing side, while there does not appear to be an ‘organised’ hashtag for anyone who supports the Bill, there have been some posts in support.
The system we use also tracks estimated social media reach, which should be taken as a very general guideline not as strict fact, as should the overall numbers, however, with that said, the data shows the general overview and pattern of the use of the hashtag. Due to the time needed to compile the information, the below does not reflect usage over the last 24 hours.
Websites Being Tracked
This data includes tracking from public pages of three of the most prominent social media networks, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, as well as websites and blogs.
The most common place the hashtag has been used over the time frame referenced is on Twitter with 712 recorded mentions, second is Facebook with 105, websites/blogs/news sites combined are third with 78, and then 19 recorded on Instagram.
Days | Amounts
The House of Assembly passed the Bill on Friday, December 8, 2017, and the following day we recorded the first use of the hashtag, with it used once.
On December 10 it was also used once, and then on Monday, December 11th it spiked to 61 uses, with an estimated social media reach, for that day, of 9,305.
Daily usage for the remainder of December 2017 then ranged from 29 – 0, with the usage tapering down as the month progressed, and the system recorded under a dozen total usages of the hashtag in January 2018.
On February 7th, in the afternoon, the Governor announced he gave the Bill assent, and four uses of the hashtag were recorded.
The following day, on February 8th, recorded the highest usage of the hashtag overall, with 531 uses, with an estimated social media reach of 2.24 million.
February 8th is responsible for the overwhelming bulk of the estimated social media reach for the entire time charted [Dec 8 - Feb 11] as that day’s 2,242,300 represents 94% of the total estimated social media reach over the past few weeks, which is recorded at almost 2.4 million.
As points of comparison, the reach of the #Bermuda hashtag is recorded at 11 million for the same time frame in the same system, while the #ParadisePapers hashtag has an estimated reach of 38 million in the same system and time frame.
Following the major spike after the Governor announced assent, usage began decreasing, with 132 instances of the hashtag recorded the following day [Feb 9] with an estimated social media reach of 47,500, and then 44 recorded uses on February 10, and then 16 for the hours that were recorded on February 11.
Who Is Using The Hashtag?
The highest ranked account recorded was the Huffington Post’s Facebook page, where they posted their news story to their 9.8 million fans with the caption “A #BoycottBermuda campaign is gaining steam.”
The next highest ranked account recorded was actor John Leguizamo, who tweeted to his 740,000 followers using the hashtag.
The next four highest ranked accounts all belong to the Huffington Post as well, and the sixth was the Irish Examiner, meaning media outlets using it contributed significantly to the estimated social media reach numbers. The posts from the five highest ranked accounts are below.
Some people are also using it multiple times, and all multiple uses by the same account contribute to the total numbers.
The highest recorded instance was someone on Twitter using it 41 times, another Twitter account has used it 38, another Twitter user tweeted it 12 times, while another used it 11 times. Around 15 people have used it 4 – 6 times, and another 60 accounts have been recorded using it 2 – 3 times.
Most the people using it seem to be overseas, however there are a few instances of Bermudians using it.
Words Being Used Along With Hashtag
The tracking system also generates words being used with the hashtag, and as you can see they are mostly neutral [can, year, world, for etc] or negative [shame, discrimination, bigots, homophobic etc].
One word we have blurred out begins with “F”, obviously everyone can guess what it is, with the system recording 18 uses of this word in connection with the hashtag.
The larger the word shows indicates it being used more, for example the larger ‘CivilRights’ is recorded as being used 30 times, while the smaller ‘Anti’ next to it has 19 recorded uses.
Summary
To provide an extremely oversimplified summary, the hashtag was recorded being used 914 times on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and various websites from December 8, 2017 to the evening of February 11, 2018.
It has an estimated social media reach of almost 2.4 million during that time frame, with 94% of that attributed to the more than 500 uses to February 9th, which was the day after the Governor announced he would give it assent.
As stated above, this should be taken in a a general sense; however the hashtag is publicly searchable, and you can visit social media networks and search it yourself.
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The PLP shall deem this as #fakenews.
This is what I have to say #Godisgreat
#BigproblemBiggerGOD
Often said immediately before detonation. What’s your point?
#godaintrealgetagripifhewashewouldhavecomedownalreadysowhereheat?
And dumb
If gay marriage being legal is a deciding factor to someone taking a vacation then those people who make that decision only have access to half the globe. When Bermuda did legalize same sex marriage we see a massive rise in gay tourist coming to spend their money here? …. no
Not even half the globe! Out of the 195 countries only 24 countries have legalized same-sex marriage. That’s only about 12% of the globe. #Ihavenowheretotravelnow
I don’t think the issue is whether we have it or don’t have it…the issue is that we made it into law and then decided, retroactively, that these individuals were not due the rights bestowed upon them. This is why we had to subvert human rights to pass the new legislation.
Mate that’s not the point. It’s not aimed towards places that don’t support gay marriage, it’s the fact that Bermuda legalized it and then revoked it. That’s what people are up in arms about.
All 900 had no intention of coming here anyway. Do they even have passports? LOL
Like I said previously, there are only a handful of disgruntled people who are doing this and siding with that opinion. People travel to enjoy sites and scenery. They do not travel based on political opinions and legal matters. This small group of disgruntled people have no bearing on the vast majority who are well over 99.99%. Democracy rules here, so face the music. How much tourism does Dubai enjoy, despite the fact it has much harsher laws against such matters and others? Exactly. Don’t let a few loud birds ruin the sound of the whole countryside. There are people boycotting everything under the sun, who cares if these people are boycotting us? The vast majority of humans are not that low and infantile to boycott a whole country based upon such matters.
” Democracy rules here,”
No, it doesn’t… you clearly don’t know what a democracy is.
Ask about Bermuda they think Bermuda Triangle ,paradise papers and anti equality ………=not good