The death of Apple’s visionary leader Steve Jobs has sparked the biggest online reaction of any event in history, as Twitter figures are set to top 10,000 tweets per second.
Twitter messages on topics like #RipSteveJobs, #ThankYouSteve, #iSad and #iHeaven have surpassed the previous largest total of some 8,868 tweets per second after Beyoncé announced her pregnancy at August’s MTV Video Music Awards, according to social media monitoring agency SR7.
Meanwhile, U.S. president Barack Obama has led tributes among world leaders to Apple’s co-founder: “The world has lost a visionary. And there may be no greater tribute to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his passing on a device he invented.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron said: “Steve Jobs transformed the way we work and play; a creative genius who will be sorely missed.”
“Steve, thank you for being a mentor and a friend. Thanks for showing that what you build can change the world. I will miss you,” founder and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg said.
Jobs’ impact on consumers lives is arguably best illustrated by tweeting NBA star Blake Griffin: “RIP Steve Jobs, thanks for this iPad I’m holding, the phone in my pocket, the laptop on my desk and much much more”
