Game of Thrones returns this Sunday for its eighth and final after a two-year hiatus. Watching a new season of an anticipated show can be fun, but the real joy begins when you see the discourse happening online in real time. Viewers log every complaint and emotion directly into Twitter while watching, making it a great way to trace shifts in the court of public opinion.
Game of Thrones and Twitter
Twitter has been tracked the reactions of fans Game of Thrones fans for nearly a decade, seeing what gets them riled up. The United States, Brazil and Great Britain have the most Twitter activity surrounding Game of Thrones.
The most-talked about season as Season 7, which inspired 23 million tweets. "The Dragon and the Wolf", the finale of that season, was the most talked about episode, with fans engaging in detailed discussions about zombie ice dragons and a plethora of other oddities hidden throughout the hour and a half. "The Red Woman", "The Winds of Winter" and "Dragonstone" were among the other most discussed episodes on the social media platform.
The most tweeted about characters in Game of Thrones are Jon Snow, Daenerys, Arya Stark, Tyrion Lannister and Cersei Lannister (in that order).
Here's one of the most liked and retweeted Game of Thrones -related tweets (Here's hoping that the reveal for Season 8 is the dragons are real, not CGI).
Wait till they find out the dragons aren't real https://t.co/hvKplz0Op4
— R🇱🇧 (@RalphingOutLoud) August 30, 2017
Expect Twitter to be just as active once Season 8 starts this weekend, so make sure to stay away if you are trying to avoid spoilers. Shows like Game of Thrones have a very active fan base, which isn't afraid to share hot takes about the show. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go tweet out my theory that Hodor is actually the Night King.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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