With the rise of Twitter’s popularity over the last few years, not only generally, but on Harding’s campus specifically, there has been a rise in parody accounts. A parody account is an account that tweets from a hyperbolized perspective of a well-known individual or group. Twitter has specific guidelines in its terms of use that allow parody accounts, but prohibit accounts that impersonate.
Around Harding, these accounts are known as “fake twitters.” These Twitter accounts have found quite a large following due to extensive exposure on #chapeltweet.
George Stuart Benson (@drgeorgebenson) is an account parodying the past president of Harding, and recently surpassed 800 followers. The tweets rely on specific knowledge of Benson, his politics and the Harding of his era, but comments on current events in and out of the Harding bubble. One recent tweet reads:
“Just ordered a Predator Drone for the dean’s office. You kids planning a date at Harding Park tomorrow night may want to make other plans.”
Not surprisingly, many accounts have focused on the social club community at Harding. There are various “Total _____ Move” accounts that poke fun at club stereotypes, but the best club-based account, by far, is Sigma Phi Meow (@SigmaPhiMeow). The concept behind the account is simple: It tweets pictures of Sigma Phi Mu members with cats photoshopped in, accompanied by captions full of cat puns. The account is a joint effort by two Harding students, who shared the original purpose of the account, which was to develop an image for the club before actual club members could.
There have been various “Gossip Girl” themed accounts over the last few years, with the most popular one gaining around 400 followers. These all tweeted about social gossip at Harding and have been fairly mean-spirited overall. None of these accounts have proved to have much longevity and have lost popularity soon after gaining it. The best result of this social media gossip craze was the creation of HU Gossip Goat (@hugossipgoatxo). The goat tweeted such artful tweets as this one from last April:
“Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! #chapeltweet”
Parody Twitter accounts can provide great entertainment and insightful social commentary, but can also be hurtful or misrepresent people. Consider both the positive and negative side effects of these accounts before delving into the mess that is the “fake Twitter” community at Harding.
