The Royal Wedding is the only story making headlines at the moment.
With the tremendous attention directed towards the ceremony of Prince William and Kate Middleton, it’s no wonder that millions flocked to the internet for the latest updates.
According to traffic monitor Akamai, global news traffic surged to around 1.30pm British time yesterday, reaching up to 5.3 million page views per minute.
This event marked the sixth largest incident in internet history, though it did not surpass several significant sporting events.
The high web usage during the ceremony naturally led to increased activity on social media, as individuals updated their statuses or tweeted throughout the proceedings.
In the UK alone, the wedding received 268,777 mentions during the ceremony, translating to an impressive 74 mentions every second.
On Twitter, at its zenith, the event was referenced 67 times every second.
Print media also felt the impact, with newspapers running extensive print volumes and launching special evening editions to encompass the ceremony.
Moreover, even British troops stationed in Afghanistan utilized the internet to convey their good wishes to the royal couple.
The UK military media operations team stationed at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province remarked, ‘Though everyone is working hard in Afghanistan, we’ve got the TV on, and we’re watching when we can. Congratulations to William and Kate.’
On both Twitter and Facebook, wedding-related trending topics included Westminster Abbey, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Camilla, and the hymn Jerusalem, composed by William Blake and Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry.
Interestingly, the hashtag ‘proudtobebritish’ also made the trending list, thanks in part to former England captain Michael Vaughan sharing his opinions.
Throughout the ceremony, the UK audience made 10,600 references to Kate’s dress, and there were 4,583 comments regarding Sir Elton John’s performance. As the first significant event of the social media era unfolded, site users eagerly expressed their excitement online.
The number of visitors began increasing early in the morning, peaking when the newlyweds shared their kiss on the Buckingham Palace balcony in the early afternoon. At that moment, traffic on the website doubled its usual levels. This trend was mirrored in the U.S.
Meanwhile, the BBC website, which provided a live stream of the wedding, struggled to handle the overwhelming traffic and experienced a crash at one stage.
For traditional media, the Royal Wedding signified a departure from convention.
As has become standard with notable events, celebrities took to social media to share their views on the momentous day through a flurry of online messages.
While some comments were complimentary, others were less favorable.
TV presenter Piers Morgan expressed, ‘One predominant thought while watching this splendid occasion: The British Monarchy is back.’
On the other hand, broadcaster Stephen Fry, who opted to watch the Snooker World Championship instead, tweeted, “Sh! Frame 14 in progress. Tension is palpable; you could slice it with a Black and Decker tension cutter.”
Victoria Beckham was fortunate to get a highly sought-after invite to the Abbey, whereas her former Spice Girl bandmate Emma Bunton had to experience the event through television like countless others. ‘Absolutely beautiful couple!!! They look exquisite!’, she tweeted.
The wedding also drew the attention of teenage sensation Justin Bieber, who made a special mention of Kate’s sister Pippa: ‘Congrats to William and Kate and Kate’s sister.’
Coleen, wife of footballer Wayne Rooney, expressed her joy by saying, ‘Congratulations Kate and William. May you have a very happy life together.’
As the newlyweds made their way out for the procession to Buckingham Palace, Facebook reported that mentions by users throughout Britain had soared to 1,199,196.
Interestingly, during the ceremony, Prince Harry was discussed more frequently than his brother by UK users.
Terms associated with the royal wedding that were notably prevalent in Facebook status updates on that Friday included ‘God Save the Queen’, ‘Union Jack’, and ‘British monarchy’.
by Robbo Green
