Whether one is excitedly counting down the days, dreading it, or remaining ambivalent, the royal wedding on Friday is unavoidable.
Thirty years ago, the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer was a grand spectacle that had people gathered around their TV screens all over the world. Now, with only days to go until Prince William marries Catherine Middleton, television is an after-thought as people follow the wedding plans via Twitter, the www.officialroyalwedding2011.org Web site, the royal wedding YouTube channel, multiple Facebook groups and smartphone apps dedicated to the event.
According to a study by Internet marketing agency Greenlight, there is an average of 9 000 posts a day on the subject of the wedding. The research also shows a 700% rise in mentions of the royal wedding this month alone.
Greenlight also noted that internationally, those excited by the wedding outweighed the “haters” by six to one.
In an age where the concept of a monarchy is widely seen as outdated and stale, for many the question is whether Prince William's marriage to a “commoner” will inject new life into the royal family.
While that may remain to be seen, it is undeniable that the British royals are making an effort to keep up with the times.
Royal tweets
Clarence House, the royal home of Prince Charles and Camilla, has been functioning as the official Twitter account of the royals, tweeting announcements about the wedding. @ClarenceHouse has also posted links for app downloads and to the seating plan.
Even Westminster Abbey has been personified by a Twitter account @wabbey, and will be live-tweeting the event.
For those completely sold on the idea of a real-life fairytale, the latest 3D imagery technology will allow them to follow the whole royal procession route - taking in the surroundings, up to the finest detail of the trees lining the Mall.
Google has reportedly expanded its 3D imagery of central London in order to create an accurate 3D map. The map is available in the Earth View on Google Maps.
Excitement over fruitcake
Google has also recorded a surge in interest in the British royal family since the announcement of the engagement.
Searches for “fruitcake” have reportedly gone up by 49% year on year in the UK.
Excitement (over the wedding, not just fruitcake) is, however, not confined to the UK, and Google diagnostics show that Canada, the US, New Zealand, Australia and SA are all recording the highest surges in online interest.
The Apple app store is also filled with hundreds of royal wedding themed apps - including countdown timers, dress designers, games and news feeds.
There is an official royal wedding app from the “Royal Collection”, which tells the story of seven royal weddings from 1840 to 2005.
Shot of cynicism
A global television audience of two billion is expected on Friday morning, compared to the estimated 750 million people who watched Prince Charles and Lady Diana say “I do”.
The royal wedding YouTube channel will also be live-streaming the event - allowing romantics to get misty eyed while at the office.
The cynics can even take part in the royal wedding drinking game by joining the group on Facebook, reading the rules, and drowning their cynicism every time the Queen does the royal wave.
It won't solve poverty, cure disease or change the economic landscape. But, love it or hate it, this is the first royal wedding of the Internet age, and those of us who grew up on a staple diet of Disney fairytales will be glued to our computer screens.
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