Is it possible to understand the collective feelings of the world? Maybe not the entire world but a interesting gauge of the internet’s mood is Blogpulse. I usually pull data on Monday to show some trends that are on my mind and see how they compare to the rest of the blogosphere.
Last week the standoff in South America involving Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela was unfolding quickly and the blogosphere reacted just as quickly. Initially over Colombia’s encroachment into Ecuador to assassinate a rebel leader the situation escalated to involve Venezuela. Almost as quickly as it escalated, an accord was met and the situation was placated.
But what does this chart say about the mood of the connected?
Concern online briefly peaked on March 3 but has since been on a steady decline. However it has yet to reach its pre-standoff lows. This may signal that people have stood up and taken notice and the blogosphere is quick to react to sentiment as events unfold. Furthermore at its peak the story trumped Iraq coverage for a brief period and showed the truly global reach of the blogosphere.
The chart above displays differences in buzz between two global stories. The China-Tibet protest and the Sudan-Chad peace accord stories from this past week. The China-Tibet protest has experienced an dramatic surge over the last week as the Beijing Olympics approach and chatter reaches new heights.
The two charts above show that using a few online tools you can quickly get a high level look at global issues as they unfold. The collective voice does in fact mirror the global news voice.
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