North Korea Explodes: WorldMood 30 July – 13 August, 2017

The North Korea situation is going to get worse before it gets better.  That is what our latest WorldMood map is implying.  Our previous map, which covered July 17-31, 2017 indicated a “volatile” North Korea.  On July 28, there was news of a new missile launch.  There may be a different response this time from what has been the status quo.  The latest map (below) paints the entire East Asia region red.



For the next week or two, a region which includes North and South Korea, Japan, and China is likely to be in the news quite a bit.  While it’s possible that there could be several different volatile circumstances developing in China, Japan, and Korea, the simplest way to view this from current information would be that the instability of the North Korea situation is likely to expand and become quite heated in the near term.  Other areas that stand out from a “background normal” in the coming two weeks are Somalia aggressiveness and a destructive theme in West Africa.

What is the source of this information?  From research that spans two decades, we take internet search trend data and translate that to near future social mood.  This is analyzed geographically to produce a MoodMap. 

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Update July 18. 2017
Item #2: Russia Threatens Retaliatory Measures over Seized U.S. Mansions

Update July 28, 2017
Russia "asserts their position" with a sanctions retaliation. N. Korea "returns to the headlines" escalating that situation with a missile launch.   The WorldMood map for the next two weeks (will post soon) implies an extremely volatile situation in the region of North and South Korea, Japan and China.  My guess is that this thing gets more intense over the next few days.

Update July 30, 2017
Last day of this map Russia cuts size of U.S. diplomatic mission.

WorldMood July 17-31, 2017

Last week, the region including Turkey, Syria, and Iraq was highlighted as an area that could receive additional attention for destruction or destructiveness.  Early in the week, rubble, destruction, and bodies were in the news coverage of the area even as victory was being declared by Iraq over ISIS and a ceasefire was announced for Syria.  On July 4, N. Korea launched a ballistic missile, yet the timing we had been using for our maps showed an "explosive" N. Korea situation for the week following the launch.  While tensions were elevated and news coverage of the ICBM launch was in the news early in the week, we have decided that it's necessary to expand the timing of our map coverage to two weeks, as the explosive description would have best included the week of the launch.  

The map below covers the period approximately July 17-31, 2017.  A few areas stand out from "background normal" and are listed below the map.   What's our source of information?  Over a decade of research shows that what we collectively focus on, as seen in our top weekly internet search trends, tends to show up as types of news events a few weeks later. The mood conveyed by the search trends can be quantified and even analyzed geographically.



WorldMood July 17 - 31, 2017:

The few identified global regions for this period that stand out from the background are:

1) N. Korea should return to the headlines over the next two weeks as the situation there becomes heated or volatile.

2) Russia is highlighted as "assertive."  Watch for them to flex their muscles or assert their positions over this period.

3) A region in southwestern China is marked "disruptive."  This mood configuration often is associated with social disruption (civil unrest, protests, and/or terrorist activity).  Because of the particular area highlighted (near the Himalayas), it could also coincide with an earthquake event.

4) Syria and Iraq are marked as "emotional."  This is not surprising as there's been so much upheaval there recently.  The U.K. is also highlighted as emotional.  It's not clear at this time what this might be referring to.  In addition to "emotional" this same configuration can be associated with "wet" or lots of rain.