⚡ Get All Content for 20% Off ⚡

Want to Spread Your Message? An Angry Tweet May Be the Answer Computer scientists have found that angry messages spread faster on social media than messages of sadness, disgust, even joy.

By Laura Entis

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

crow202.org

Feel like screaming? The social-media world is listening.

Angry messages on social-media networks are far more contagious than messages expressing sadness, disgust, even joy, according to a team of researchers at Beihang University.

The study tracked 70 million posts on Weibo, China's version of Twitter. Angry tweets were more likely to influence others -- through simple retweeting or by inspiring new angry messages – up to three degrees away from the original user.

Related: Easy Tips for Writing Better Tweets (Infographic)

This is hardly surprising. While the study found that online rage in China is primarily directed at international conflicts and domestic social problems, stateside, it seems, Twitter is often by customers as a tool to publicly rant about bad customer service.

Study or no study, most media-savvy businesses already know that angry messages on social media are powerful; unless immediately dealt with and contained, they can easily lead to a wildfire of bad publicity.

One recent example: A British Airways customer, pissed off that the airline had lost his father's luggage, bought a string of promoted tweets to complain about the situation. The tweets went viral before the airline bothered to respond.

On the other side of the spectrum: Back in summer 2012, the mobile company O2 experienced widespread network problems. Thousands of customers took to Twitter to vent. Instead of ignoring the problem, O2 immediately joined the conversation, engaging with customers through apologetic, honest, and often funny tweets.

Related: 10 Questions to Ask When Creating a Social-Media Marketing Plan

Laura Entis is a reporter for Fortune.com's Venture section.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Side Hustle

The Remote Side Hustle a 43-Year-Old Musician Works on for 1 Hour a Day Earns Nearly $3,000 a Month: 'All From the Comfort of Home'

Sam Ziegler wanted to supplement his income as a professional drummer — then his tech skills and desire to help people came together.

Business News

Costco CFO Reveals Uncertain Fate of $1.50 Hot Dog and Soda Combo

CFO Richard Galanti reveals that the price will stay the same — but only "for a while."

Business News

The Most Unexpectedly Popular Side Hustle of the Decade Has Low Startup Costs and High Markups

A new report shows that vending machines are a popular investment — and the industry is set to grow up to $3 billion by 2031.

Marketing

Ever Wonder Why Certain Websites Rank Higher Than Yours? This SEO Expert Reveals The Secret to Dominating Search Results

It's often the smart use of SEO, now supercharged with AI, particularly in keyword optimization.

Business News

AI Is Impacting Jobs. Here Are the Gigs Affected the Most, According to an Analysis of 5 Million Upwork Postings

The researcher said in the report that freelance jobs were analyzed first because that market will likely see AI's immediate impact.

Leadership

Former Interrogator Shares 5 Behaviors Liars Exhibit and How to Handle Them

Five deceptive behaviors to look for and how to respond to those behaviors when you encounter them.