Document Type
Paper
Publication Date
2-2026
Abstract
A study from Montclair State University faculty in the Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication in the College of Communication and Media analyzed social media reaction to the NFL’s Super Bowl halftime show featuring Bad Bunny and Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show” featuring Kid Rock. Results suggest significantly higher interest online in Bad Bunny’s performance. Highlights from the study include 892.8% more posts on X about Bad Bunny’s halftime show performance with a 963.6% higher number of posts throughout Super Bowl Sunday. Additionally, there was triple the amount of search interest for “Bad Bunny” versus “Kid Rock” in the period studied. Results, however, also reflect the polarizing nature of social media and the increasing emphasis on negativity in online posts; sentiment analysis suggests each performer generated 2.5 times negative posts for their shows than positive posts.
Publisher
Joetta Di Bella and Fred C. Sautter III Center for Strategic Communication
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Choi, Jin-A; Benton, Bond; and Lou, Yi, "Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl performance generated 892.8% more social media mentions than Kid Rock’s halftime show with triple the search interest" (2026). College of Communication and Media Scholarship and Creative Works. 84.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/scom-facpubs/84