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Last weekend, the X Factor’s live shows got off to a fiery start. Gary stormed off stage, people questioned whether the ‘wrong’ person went through and a producer lingering around the judge’s desk sparked rumours that Louis was told to take the decision to deadlock. Social media users have been getting their teeth into this drama.
Since the show aired on Sunday night, Ofcom has received over 1,000 complaints regarding the shock exit of Carolynne Poole and the way the first live results show of the season was handled. A crisis meeting between the judges, producers and presenters was also reported to have been held this week with Gary Barlow threatening to quit!
As the audience in the studio sat awkwardly and viewers at home sat on the edge of their seats awaiting the results, social media users started to reel out a realm of unsatisfied comments. This continued for several days after word hit the street about one of the most controversial incidents in TV in recent weeks. Here are just a handful of comments that appeared on social channels on the night and the day after:
“Talent show bosses are accused of interfering with the judging process after Louis Walsh goes to deadlock, saving Rylan Clark.” (BBC Newsbeat blog)
While this was going on, some people took pity on Louis:
“I actually can’t stand the way they treat Louis. Everything they accuse him off when they get nasty they’re guilty of themselves. Gary was a right nas…” (AVForums, Forum Reply)
And another social media user knew all too well that something like this was bound to happen:
“It was obvious that the Essex clown would stay, it’s classic x factor. Caroline was never going to win the competition but Rylan had created alot of …” (redandwhitekop, Forum Reply)
These comments were also supported by some well-known names in the celeb world. Previous X Factor contestant, Frankie Cocozza, also known for being controversial figure in the media, tweeted:
“RT @FrankieCocozza: RT @FrankieCocozza: I\’m pretty sure the X Factor just showed the whole country how set up it is. Not that we didn\’t know that anyway. Th …” (@heyimcarmen_)
Olly Murs took a different stance to the situation. He was reported to have defended Rylan Clark from the Twitter abuse he received after Sunday’s sing off.
Some Twitter users even went to the extent of trying to lure people away from the show and questioning what it’s actually about:
“The only way to stop all this protest against the X-Factor is for people to hit em where it hurts. Stop watching it #stopwatchingthexfactor” (@j60nta2)
“Watching last nights X Factor and I’m a bit confused, is it not a talent contest anymore?” (@goldyylockss)
All of this and it’s just week one. Roll on this weekend for round two!
Ofcom raised a few eyebrows last week when it gave Everything Everywhere, the company behind Orange and T-Mobile, the green light to roll out 4G using its existing bandwidth from 11 September. We’ve had a quick look at the discussion in social media over the past week to gauge the mood of social media users towards the announcement.
Comments surrounding the two Everything Everywhere networks have included:
‘T-Mobile announces new Unlimited Nationwide 4G data plans starting September 5th http://t.co/y8gzb1sJ #Blackberry ‘ (@Blackberry_News)
‘T-Mobile Announces Unlimited 4G Data Plan …’ (@GeoffAlexander1)
‘Hopefully when 4g comes out on orange and t mobile everything will be mega fast I\’m sure the states have it do u? Is 4g good??’ (@Kevin_Healey)
‘Gotta say, I\’m well impressed with Orange network 3G. Can\’t wait for them to roll out 4G!…’ (@joedmiles)
Looking at the topic cloud, you can see that social media users have also been discussing Samsung, iPhone and Android in the context of the Ofcom announcement. The introduction of the new iPhone in September, which comes with 4G, has also been a hot topic :
‘4G LTE iPhone could revolutionize UK mobile market – looks like Orange/T-Mobile might be onto a winner here!! http://t.co/Lo73HAmS ‘
In terms of sentiment, 32.8% of the mentions have been positive compared with 14.6% which have been negative.
T-Mobile and Orange both used their corporate Twitter accounts to market their new services:
‘No data caps, speed limits, or overages. Unlimited Nationwide 4G Data starting Sept 5th only at @TMobile! http://t.co/ssLJDRyq’ (@Tmobile)
‘Faster downloads, quicker connections, better coverage – it’s time to reap the benefits of #4G mobile networks:http://bbc.in/NKhBch’ (@Orangeuk)
Customer comments have included:
‘Yes orange and t mobile are getting 4G sweet’ (@iamwoss)
‘So t-mobile and orange owner will bring 4G to the UK but in a new brand. That will make their customers happy, including me 
‘ (@imwithstoopids)
The negative comments have questioned the fairness of the decision as well as criticising Everything Everywhere’s new logo:
‘Competitors call Everything Everywhere 4G LTE license unfair’ (@TechZader)
‘ Bizarre Everything Everywhere 4G Logo Makes its Debut: \n\nTo the disappointment of its competitors, Everything E… ‘ (@NxtMobilePhones)
‘Worst logo of 2012 – Everything Everywhere? http://t.co/bmRXSyTP via @m4tt & @martinSFP #4G ‘ (@digitim)
New logo aside, Orange and T-Mobile customers are excited about the imminent arrival of 4G. But, as the BBC has pointed out, Everything Everywhere still needs to ‘persuade mobile phone manufacturers to build smartphones capable of working on its 4G network’. T-Mobile and Orange customers will soon have faster downloads and internet access; both of which are good news for users of those networks but 4G isn’t a success story just yet.
