How Adele’s Middle Finger Played Out in Social Media

  • 1 min read
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On Tuesday, the Brit Awards celebrated the best in British music. Twenty-three year-old British singer Adele, already a winner of six Grammys, was honored with a Brit Award. However, she was cut off partway through her acceptance speech which left her fuming. She gave the middle finger before storming off camera. Controversies erupted over the Brit Awards’ decision to cut her off (many felt it was so they could run more commercials) and her response. In Future of Engagement, Murray Newlands analyzes how people reacted on social media and discusses what businesses can learn from it.

YouTube video

Highlights

  • Reactions spanned across many types of social media
  • Heavy emotional responses from Adele’s supporters
  • Sincere, real public apologies (not “I’m sorry if you were offended by misunderstanding what I said” apologies) succeed in regaining trust

Graph by Alerti social media monitoring and management

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Steve Hall

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