We can't believe it's already been a year since last season's American Idol, when the blogosphere was buzzing with scathing Sanjaya remarks and Melinda Doolittle love. Last year, the influencers were tracking with public opinion right to the end, until Jordin Sparks emerged as the dark horse to seize the title.
What's in store this year? We set up conversations tracking each of the contestants to get insight into how the most influential bloggers are talking about the competitors. What is the relationship between what the influencers have to say and the popular vote? And who exactly influences who? Do the bloggers shape voting behavior, or are they one step ahead? Or, perhaps it's collective impact of votes week after week that color the influencers' perceptions? Tune into the BuzzBlog each week as we explore this dynamic, and attempt to pick the winner.
UPDATE
The votes are in and Wednesday's results episode did hold some surprises. While the influencers were right on about Amanda Overmyer and Kristy Lee Cook being in the Bottom 3, songbird Carly Smithson also was one of the three contenders with the lowest votes. Post show buzz reveals that influential bloggers are relieved rocker Amanda has left the show. There has been a definite rise of influential posts around Carly, with many influencers questioning her place in the Bottom 3. Do American Idol voters know something the online opinion leaders don't? The biggest buzz maker in the last 24 hours was Syesha Mercado - influential posts indicate she is back in the game!
The Final 11 performed last night (Tues 3/18) and the judges' reactions were lukewarm at best. As of last Thursday (3/13) the Idol contestant with the most influencer buzz was Brooke White...could this be an indicator of more good things to come for the Mesa, AZ native? As of Wednesday (3/19) morning, she still had the highest number of total posts than any other contestant, despite her less than stellar performance Tuesday night. The influencers remain impressed with her ability to play mulitple instruments (piano and guitar).
Here is the breakdown on Influencer Buzz around each contestant:
Brooke White – 3528 posts *Blogger and fan favorite
David Cook – 2105 posts *Noted by influential blogs TV Squad and Bookmaker to be the Dark Horse of 2008
Amanda Overmyer – 1101 posts *Chastized for her hairstyle and past DUI charges. Lots of posts, but many bloggers want this rocker out of the race. She is predicted to be in the Bottom 3.
Chikezie – 853 *Influencers preduict he'll be safe this week
Carly Smithson – 750 *Influencers are predicting she'll be safe this week
Kristy Lee Cook – 703 *Influencers predict she'll be in the Bottom 3
Jason Castro - 664 *Influencer chatter is a mix of positive and snarky commentary - this could go either way!
Michael Johns - 658 *Influencers note this contestant has been slipping
Syesha Mercado - 639 *Influencers agree she is out of danger, given last night's strong performance. She is safe - for now.
Ramiele Malubay -567 *She is pegged by influencers to be one of the Bottom 3.
David Archuleta - 353 *Post for post, David is the least blogged about contestant. However, blog commentary is overwhlemingly positive for this young singer - making him a definite Idol contender.
Stay tuned for an update after tonight's results!
