The News in New Media

Author: Sarah Beach

People are unfriending each other over Trump’s victory

November 9, 2016

Starting at 11:00 pm on election night, there are now over 250,000 Tweets about people unfriending, unfollowing, or otherwise having it out online over the election results.

1478722023831

This, I’m sure, extends to Facebook and other social media, as well. It is impossible to know exactly how many people may have lost a friend or follower because of the election, but the number is bound to be astronomically high.

As you can see, people had very little to say that was positive, as is clear by the 93% negative sentiment online.

1478722055798

The vast majority are made up of people advising their followers to unfriend them immediately, based on their political views:

https://twitter.com/romero/status/796219874519502848

https://twitter.com/naveenchristian/status/796232357309251584

https://twitter.com/buterastana/status/796406983301668864

A few people took a more placating view, calling it “petty.”

https://twitter.com/kelsiembowden/status/796438301896867840

https://twitter.com/angieroig/status/796426613856538625

https://twitter.com/LAlexa_/status/796435555873652742

Whichever side of the coin you fall on, it’s clear that social media behaviors have an impact in the “real” world. Maybe you will choose to share your political views as a form of self-expression. Maybe what you post could influence or educate others about important topics.

Social media is an important gathering place for millennials, and their chatter today shows clearly that a majority of them did not support Donald Trump in his quest for the presidency.

In fact, this article states that, had millennials been the only ones to vote, Hillary Clinton would have taken the electoral college, as is clear from this image in the article:

photo credit: https://mic.com/articles/157558/here-s-what-the-electoral-college-map-would-look-like-if-only-millennials-voted#.U9Q2zxnSx
photo credit: https://mic.com/articles/157558/here-s-what-the-electoral-college-map-would-look-like-if-only-millennials-voted#.U9Q2zxnSx

It’s clear, then, that millennials online are unhappy with the election results and are not afraid to show it in a way that is perhaps unique to their generation — online engagement.

So if sharing your beliefs online is your overall go, by all means, go ahead. If keeping your followers is more important, you may want to watch what you post.

Save

McMullin’s Mormon Mafia

October 28, 2016

What better way to defeat a political opponent than by attacking their race, gender, or religion, amiright?

Fox News Anchor Lou Dobbs is being heavily mocked on social media for his Tweet accusing Evan McMullin (a conservative third-party contender for the presidential race) of being part of the “Mormon Mafia,” whatever that is:

McMullin (like former presidential candidate Mitt Romney), is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka Latter-Day Saint or the more popular “Mormon” for short.

Dobbs, it seems, says Donald Trump is a “very, very smart man,” and is “waking up America.”

So, I guess it’s not surprising that he would defensively lash out at McMullin as a threat to Trump’s campaign.

As you can see, there was a huge spike in activity Wednesday night when the Tweet went viral and folks started giving their own input:

1477678997893

Business Insider reported McMullin’s response, as did CNN, but what is more interesting is the way Twitter took the hashtag and ran with it.

A large percentage were filled with “Mormon jokes” — slightly sarcastic cultural references that you will probably laugh harder at if you’re actually Mormon. Here are some honorable mentions:

https://twitter.com/Philip_R_Moon/status/791498530804293633

https://twitter.com/AllknowingSuit/status/791627102642515969

https://twitter.com/danieltobin/status/791484069485932544

Some, though, were actually rallying cries for McMullin’s campaign. There even seems to be some talk of “Mormon Mafia” becoming the collective term for McMullin supporters (similar to Trumpkins or a fandom name for a celebrity). This seems loose at this stage, but Twitter expressed lots of inclusivity as to who can be a McMullin supporter:

https://twitter.com/DavidCline/status/792032233712455680

Sentiment surrouding #MormonMafia was mostly positive, the negative 25% filled with a healthy smattering of sarcasm. Sure, there were plenty of Twitter users who used the hashtag to express displeasure at McMullin’s campaign, arguing that it will dilute the votes or that some Mormons will vote for McMullin purely on religion alone.

1477680036499

Mostly, however, Dobbs’ post sparked a flurry of witticisms and banter. Just another example of why you should be careful what you Tweet– you might end up the butt of your own joke.

 

#pooretry: A poor man’s Twitter

October 23, 2016

In this election season, all hashtags are political hashtags.

As an interesting example, here’s a hashtag started by an organization:

The Goodtime Club’s website is under construction, but their Facebook page says they’re about “daily humor, art, and inspirational wisdom to make sure life is a good time. Host of a hashtag game on Twitter Saturdays at 5:30PM EST.”

It seems, then, that #pooretry was their hashtag game for Saturday the 22nd. You can see the spike in social media at that time.

1477185642668

This hashtag is interesting for its nature as a Twitter game invented just for the fun of Tweeting, but also because it is not really designed around a particular social movement, product, or attitude. It’s merely as a game.

Here are some examples — see for yourself!

https://twitter.com/DavidHoustonVox/status/789954010530783232

As you can see, you don’t have to be Lord Byron to participate. Some users just used it as an excuse to write dozens of short poems on their Twitter, with varying levels of actual poetry involved.

As you can see from the examples above, some where very thoughtful, others sarcastic, some just funny. There was some confusion as to the actual purpose of #pooretry, even though it was clearly defined by the original post. As one user put it:

Screen Shot 2016-10-22 at 9.26.48 PM

Clearly, an innocuous pastime.

But is it only useful as a game?

Typical of this election, some of these Tweets have a distinctly political cast:

https://twitter.com/AnonymousJobsUS/status/789983812184842241

https://twitter.com/SpottlessMarxx/status/789981645382164480

https://twitter.com/kissmiss1111/status/789993909187379200

https://twitter.com/uncle_gong/status/789998492018171904

Whether you use it to critique Election 2016 or just to write bad poetry, #pooretry is interesting in that it’s neither created by a “normal person” on Twitter or a celebrity or business…it was made by some sort of middle-group type of organization with an under-construction website and apparently the only goal of spreading positive vibes online.

Let’s see if it’s enough to combat the depressive powers of Presidential Election Season 2016.

#Trumpkin

October 14, 2016

So the latest internet trend decided to grace us with its presence this week. It’s called “Trumpkin.”

Yes, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

Trump + pumpkin = Trumpkin.

As in, jack-o-lantern with the face of one Donald Trump.

And, just in time for Halloween.

So if you were thinking “Trumpkin” was a character from “The Chronicles of Narnia”…you would be right. Hang with me, though, because it’s not just a trendy new home decor.  There’s more to it than meets the eye.

Some of them are actually quite impressive.

https://twitter.com/shelliwright/status/780442019042852864

As fun as they are to look at, some users of Twitter are less-than-impressed about their existence.

In fact, half of the social media sphere approved Trumpkin, half did not, according to the data from Radian6 social media analytics:

1476326148944

Still, it was a little more negative than positive. Some people were just not impressed.

 

https://twitter.com/Quackarazzi/status/786323507063820288

https://twitter.com/SliceofLifeVivs/status/786387680896483329

The other half, though, are firmly in support!

https://twitter.com/EricMBacon/status/786387873255698432

https://twitter.com/PIZZAPHANTOM/status/786393054903087104

The interesting thing, though, is that “Trumpkin” as Trump + pumpkin is not the only way the term was used. Over this summer, people were already using the hashtag, and according to this article, Trumpkins were already a thing last fall, when Trump was running for the Republican nomination.

If such is the case, it’s become more than just that over the past year. These Tweets seem to be using the term “Trumpkin” as a person who supports Donald Trump in his political campaign for the White House:

https://twitter.com/CartoonCommune/status/760299052093218817

https://twitter.com/yitzyy/status/760336753559470080

At any rate, there was a huge spike this week as the trend of creating Trump pumpkins and posting them online exploded in popularity.

1476411409247

Perhaps this is just another way that social media both facilitates and accelerates societal movements. Now that Trumpkin is more than just a gruff, bearded dwarf in a popular children’s series, the name may go down in history as both Trump supporters and a way to make a front porch statement this Halloween.

The history of the jack o’ lantern might be interesting here. Jack o’ lanterns came over with Irish settlers who carved gourds to scare off evil spirits instead of pumpkins. Pumpkins come from America, like potatoes and tomatoes. As this election has gone so far, is “Trumpkin” really surprising at this point?

Thank goodness we have pumpkins, or we might have been stuck with a “Trourd” instead…and that is scary.

1476325824988

Tweeting in Matthew’s eye

October 5, 2016

Hurricane MatthewYou’re probably aware that Governor Haley issued an evacuation for the lower parts of the state of South Carolina in the face of the oncoming Hurricane Matthew.

What you may not be aware of is how people are reacting to the evacuation on social media.

Most people are posting the “expected” reactions to the oncoming storm — “stay safe,” “prayers needed,” “everyone be careful out there,” and other “normal” reactions to a category 4 natural disaster.

Two, however, may come to you as a surprise.

First: annoyance at having to evacuate.

These posts seemed to either take umbrage at Hurricane Matthew for daring to disrupt their daily life or express contempt at the need for evacuation. These folks seem to be feeling bullet proof (although rainproof might come in more handy).

I’ll edit some of these responses for the more sensitive types…these posters tended to use colorful language. Here are a few of the more family-friendly ones:

https://twitter.com/katmthompson/status/783723916032372736

https://twitter.com/Bougie_Bre/status/783777637340631040

https://twitter.com/MilaTheKilla/status/783740091827126272

One asked (with four-letter emphasis) why everyone was “freaking out.”

Ok, so I didn’t censor them ALL:

https://twitter.com/teresaIisbon/status/783715759075815424

These you needed to see as-is, especially for the quotation marks around “evacuation zone.”

Second thing you may not have heard of before: “hurricane parties.”

According to Wikipedia, a “hurricane party” is a gathering, common in the southeast, where folks hunker down together, often for days at a time.

The Urban Dictionary, however, had a different definition (something to do with alcohol, it seems).

These particular Tweets seem to support the traditional “turn-up” sort of idea about hurricane parties (as opposed to the backyard grill version Wikipedia seems to favor).

https://twitter.com/BTW_LOL/status/783769991778824193

https://twitter.com/Its_LilLiz/status/783780513773391873

As the definition varies, so do peoples’ opinions of it on Twitter.

In the words of Twitter user @HoldemanCody, “Hurricane party…[F***] the evacuation” (Tweet from October 5, 4:05 pm, edited).

https://twitter.com/ShannonPaige19/status/783778052761391104

https://twitter.com/abby_cook4/status/783763699056214016

https://twitter.com/ravenmarieo/status/783706464363905024

As far as I can tell, hurricane parties are a fairly recent phenomenon, but don’t quote me on that one.

If you haven’t seen this sort of reaction to a hurricane before, now you have. As social media tends to be filled with millennials (ah, the joys of youth) it might be safe to suggest that these un-conventional views on what to do during a weather emergency are limited to a certain age bracket. Now that we have social media, everyone has a platform to let their opinions be known, especially in the face of an impending disaster. As the storm moves in, it will be interesting to see if and how these same posters continue to post.

The Trump Debate: Some Issues

October 1, 2016

Here at News In New Media we have been closely following the current presidential election.

Check this blog if you’re more interested in Hillary Clinton’s ratings via social media, but here’s a rundown of what people have been saying since last Monday regarding Donald Trump.

Screen Shot 2016-10-01 at 9.54.34 AM

Clearly, from a social media standpoint, people are mostly concerned with Trump’s views on the economy and defense. Let’s drill down a bit more.

If we take those 300,000 posts dealing with the economy and check the sentiment of each, we find that they are overwhelmingly negative. Here, see for yourself:

Screen Shot 2016-10-01 at 10.10.51 AM

Twitter is mostly upset that Donald Trump says he doesn’t pay taxes, but they also are ticked at his policies over all.

https://twitter.com/NancyDStreet/status/782209886293782528

A few of the negative posts were actually in support of Trump, just negatively valenced toward Hillary Clinton.

Similar to the economy is defense. National security, military spending, foreign affairs and the war on terrorism all combine into this category.

Screen Shot 2016-10-01 at 10.36.39 AM

Again, the majority is negative, but there are some positive posts, too. Let’s take a closer look.

The detractors seem to have the usual opinions about his policies. One very popular Tweet was re-Tweeted dozens of times and read as follows:

If we now turn to the positive posts, we see a lot of retweets of a statement Trump made about “having the greatest people in the world in our military.” Supportive Tweets tended to be from news sources quoting this statement and military supporters who approve his military policies.

These two issues are the most talked-about following the debate, but there was a little chatter surrounding immigration, healthcare, and social issues such as race, gender, and class.

About half the posts on immigration were negative, and these were filled with quite a bit of outrage. A few even used all caps and colorful language to express their deeply rooted anger at Trump’s statements surrounding the topic.

The positive posts on immigration were mostly sarcastic (and therefore, still negative), but there were a few staunch supporters of Trump’s plan to build a wall on the US’s southern border. The vast majority of the positive posts, however, were taken up by a retweet from The Independent:

The posts about social issues and healthcare, too, were 75-80% negative, as most posters on social media do not approve Trump’s behavior during Monday night’s debate.

If social media is an indicator of voting patterns, it is clear that voters on social media overwhelmingly mock and scorn Trump. However, social media is the main outlet for millennial voters, who tend to favor, overall, anything not-Trump. There is still a significant age bracket, however, who does not use social media and may be more likely to favor Trump over Hillary Clinton.

As this election season continues to unfold, social media will remain an important Litmus test for voter’s opinions on each candidate.

 

#ExpectoPatronum

September 22, 2016

If you’re a Harry Potter fan, you’ve been waiting for this for years.

tumblr_inline_nifhajiLA01rf9qoc

You can now get your Patronus on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter website, Pottermore.

The Magic Queen Herself’s patronus is a pine marten, according to her official Twitter page.

Most people are over the moon about this, understandably. Twitter is a magical menagerie of dolphins, dogs, birds, and even magical creatures.

https://twitter.com/jenwilsonca/status/778998118524125185

https://twitter.com/itsamandaross/status/778998135481786368

Some people, however, are less-than-thrilled.

https://twitter.com/magicrobins/status/778998114946461697

https://twitter.com/mariapaulan97/status/778998209410576384

https://twitter.com/HelenScottUK/status/778985613827706881

As someone who also got Salmon, I offer you this word of caution: do NOT jump into this quiz without taking a little forethought, especially not while excitedly calling to the rest of your colleagues in your office your extreme joy at this momentous occasion. This is a pivotal moment in your life, a defining instant in your fandom career, and it needs to be cherished.

Instead, approach the quiz calmly. It’s more than a quiz, it’s sort of a game. Think carefully of your happiest memory and go steadily through each question — if you take too long, it’ll skip to the next one.

Keep in mind, too, that this feature on Pottermore seems to be more random than, say, your house or your wand. Twitter’s animal choices are all over the board, including “black and white cat” as well as “tortoiseshell cat,” “black stallion” as well as “white stallion,” and at least three kinds of dog. Salmon is still the only fish I’ve found, even though I’ve seen a few dolphins.

The bottom line is, it might not be as big a deal as we think. Queen JK also Tweeted that your Patronus can change over time, too. So does this mean we can one day retake the quiz? That seems only fair.

Few of us are lucky enough to have a mystical creature, like, say, a dragon, although one Tweeter did. Also, this one:

https://twitter.com/typicalfeminist/status/778998096936202240

Whatever your Patronus, Queen JK does a brilliant job of keeping the magic alive with new content on a regular basis. I wish you the best of luck–remember, think of a happy memory!

The squirting gun: 10’s tiny trigger

September 16, 2016

If you have an iPhone, you probably just got the update to iOS 10. Maybe you’re excited about the new features, like invisible ink or the hidden magnifying glass.

The new emoji seem pretty cool, too.

One of them, though, has some people pretty ticked.

The “gun” emoji is now replaced by a little green water gun—the kind you used in the pool as a kid.

You've been replaced (photo credit: money.cnn.com)
You’ve been replaced (photo credit: money.cnn.com)

In Apple’s official announcement of updated emoji, the focus is more on gender diversity than any sort of pacifist message. The article threw the green water gun on the bottom left, almost like an afterthought.

Some say this is making a big political statement about violence. Others are just ticked that they can’t send texts like, “ugh 2 hr meeting, shoot me” anymore.

Whatever your opinion is, Twitter has a lot to say.

In fact, @SquirtGunEmoji already has its own handle, if you want to follow it.

Interestingly, nearly ALL of the posts today about the topic were negative. Nobody really seems to like it.

Lots just said it “destroyed the fun” of using a gun emoji. Twitter seems shocked and upset that what apparently is everyone’s favorite emoji is suddenly tame.

Others, however, took a more serious view. Dozens of posts sarcastically called out the new emoji, Apple, or “’Merica” on the change. Some blamed government crackdowns, others the violence inherent in the system…one joked about Harambe and how he would still be alive today…if only they had changed the emoji sooner.

Even the posts that said they liked the new update still called out the water gun for being lame or not as emphatic as the old one. Basically, opinions on Twitter range from “flipping out” to “…seriously?”

Much of the chatter is about censorship, free speech, and gun control. It seems that, at least for now, people think the new water gun is pointless compared to the old one, despite what Apple might really be saying about the meaning of texting conventions and violence.

Off of Twitter, however, opinions are more divided. Supporters of gun control applaud Apple for making the change, and New Yorkers Against Gun Violence is a group that launched a campaign to #DisarmTheiPhone. People who originally supported this hashtag surely are texting for joy with their newfound ability to squirt people via iPhone.

As time goes on, maybe people will re-frame the water gun as a push for peace. Or, maybe it will always represent corporate censorship.

Either way, “pictures speak louder than words,” and emoji are no exception. Given the current political climate, even a tiny emoji becomes a real consideration.

What do you think? Are you going to update?

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 3.40.41 PM

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 3.42.12 PM

Screen Shot 2016-09-15 at 3.46.43 PM