WEF participants active on social media
Social media is also increasingly being used as a platform at the WEF. The microblogging service Twitter is particularly popular among participants for posting comments.
According to a survey by the consultancy firm KPMG, 459 delegates sent exactly 4436 tweets, i.e. short messages, on Wednesday. There were 8021 responses and 18,718 replies. The top topics relating to Davos were "Angela Merkel" (the German Chancellor gave the opening speech), "Europe" and "People". On Thursday, the tweeting decreased slightly: 440 delegates posted 3312 tweets. The top topics were "David Cameron" (the British Prime Minister criticized plans for a financial transaction tax), "Africa" and "Social".
The World Economic Forum is no longer the preserve of economic experts or political figures, but anyone with an opinion can make it known to a global audience, KPMG commented in Friday's press release.
The WEF organizers themselves are active on many social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr. However, the direct broadcasts of podium events on the WEF website received comparatively modest attention: the number of viewers was often around 1000, and at times significantly lower. (SDA)
