Perspective from Michael James Timberlake: Sports make us sad. Yes, they can make us elated and proud…but generally they end up leaving us in some level of misery. This week, the power of social media was there to take advantage of all of it. One of the many joys of social media, and in particular Twitter, is the ability to view the reactions of millions of fans with bated breath in real time. And no time has this ever been better than…

Sports make us sad. Yes, they can make us elated and proud…but generally they end up leaving us in some level of misery. This week, the power of social media was there to take advantage of all of it.

One of the many joys of social media, and in particular Twitter, is the ability to view the reactions of millions of fans with bated breath in real time. And no time has this ever been better than Brazil’s 7-1 obliteration at the hands of Germany at the world’s most popular sporting event. There was no precedence for what was happening inside the stadium and around the globe.

35.6 million Tweets. 200 million Facebook posts, comments, and likes. These are all record shattering numbers. After Germany’s 5th goal, more than 580,000 tweets were sent in a single minute (about 10,000 a second).

While all of Brazil was crying, the entire world was there to retweet it.

Crying fans became internet sensations. A photoshopped Christ the Redeemer was everywhere. A somehow even sadder version of Germany’s goals made with stop-action Legos. Memes of Oprah’s famous saying turned into “You get a goal! You get a goal! Everyone gets a goal!” New flag ideas for Brazil. Everything from Animal House to Anchorman was referenced.

It’s simply fascinating to see the world literally stop and come together at once. Twitter’s heat map of the world’s tweets show how, almost in disbelief, people everywhere were reacting. This is a sport where four goals in a game is considered thrilling. Four happened in six minutes.

This is Brazil. This is the world’s most successful soccer nation. This was supposed to be their World Cup to hoist as hosts. And instead the entire world discovered the German word for taking pleasure in the misfortunes of others.

The one thing to be drawn from this global spectacle is that social media reacts and changes with us. The 2010 cup saw over seven million tweets in total. This World Cup has seen more than 300 million just in the group stage. In four short years, the way we view, interact with, and remember sports has altered. What will the next four bring?

We can never be stagnant in our strategies with this medium, because the way we approach it personally and together never is. I’ll be looking forward to seeing what social media has in store for us if arch-rival Argentina is able to hoist the cup and make Brazil cry one more time.