Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo "was mentioned on Twitter 1.5 million times" during the U.S.-Portugal FIFA World Cup match on Sunday, compared to 465,000 mentions for the U.S.'s Clint Dempsey, according to Doug Gross of CNN. The match "was a high point" in a World Cup "that's already shattering social-media records." Facebook said that it had 10 million people who had "20 million interactions during the U.S.-Portugal match." According to Twitter Data, there were 8 million tweets about the match "while it was happening." The World Cup, bolstered by its "massive international appeal and growing popularity in the U.S., is becoming the biggest social-media event in the medium's short history." The World Cup's opening match spurred 12.2 million tweets alone. The tournament's first week "spurred 459 million posts, likes and comments on Facebook, according to the company." By comparison, the NFL's Super Bowl received about 185 million interactions. A Facebook spokesperson said by email, "Sporting events always drive a massive amount of conversation on Facebook, but what we've seen so far during the World Cup has been extraordinary" (CNN, 6/23).
