A social media expert says the power of social media forced the sacking of two X Factor judges.

Husband and wife team Natalia Kills and Willy Moon had huge public backlash after the humiliation of a contestant in a live episode.

Camilla Hanson from MOSH Social media says sponsors were pressured by the public outcry to fire them.

"As a sponsor for the show, as people who support X Factor, you have to stand in line and say we don't tolerate this. Your consumers don't think too far ahead about decisions, they think in the moment, right now. You've got to make a quick, fast decision."

Camilla Hanson says people become trigger happy in seeing an opportunity to dive in and give their two cents' worth.

"But I think the percentage of people who are really making a genuine comment versus those who are thriving on the thrill of the drama and attention, they are very few and far between."

However, it's thought more was going on behind the scenes of X Factor, than just the outburst that's led to two judges being dumped.

Former New Zealand Idol and New Zealand's Got Talent judge Paul Ellis says the golden rule is not to personally attack somebody.

He says it was obvious that behind the scenes things weren't that great either, because you don't dump two judges a few weeks into a season of a show like this.

Paul Ellis says he was always painted as being Mr Nasty, but he never attacked the person, he only critiqued the performance.