The stories from this week poured in from all over the globe. Country borders do not hinder most social media users, and often there seems to be a global discussion of topics and news stories. We’ve gathered up three of the most talked about events below.
AP photographer’s Instagram pictures show what life is like in North Korea
Business Insider
North Korea has been splashed across the news lately. Dennis Rodman became a self-appointed diplomat and traveled to the secretive country to meet with leader Kim Jong Un. The UN Security Council then passed tougher sanctions against the country, which led to threats of retaliation. Yet the story that generated quite a buzz was the one about AP photographer David Guttenfelder and his Instagram account. Guttenfelder’s Instagram pictures of North Korea went viral as people shared and liked the images. The images give the world a glimpse into a country no one knows much about.
Public relations firm cuts ties with Oscar Pistorius
USA Today
If I had to guess, I would say the slightly provocative headline led many to click on this story. In reality, there is not much of a story there—a PR firm that once represented Oscar Pistorius quietly decided they would no longer engage with the former Olympian. The murder of Pistorius’ girlfriend has been one of the biggest stories in 2013. Why is the story so huge? Check out our theory.
Electing a pope in the era of social media
B2C
On Wednesday, Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina was named the new pope. Millions waited for the appearance of white smoke, signaling the conclave had made their choice. While the Catholic Church is not known for their social media skills (the article quotes a 2012 study where 50% of U.S. Catholics said they were unaware that the Catholic Church had any significant online presence) the @Pontifex account immediately tweeted “HABEMUS PAPAM FRANCISCUM,” meaning “We have Pope Francis.” Maybe this signals a new social era for the Church.
Have you been tweeting or posting about any of these stories? Leave a comment below and give us your take!
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Caia Caldwell is an assistant account executive at WordWrite Communications. You can find her on Twitter at @CaiaMaria
