Parody Twitter accounts have a serious following
A tweet supposedly from President Barack Obama comparing Michele Bachmann to a rabid raccoon did not make waves in the mainstream media, but it was one of the parody Twitter account’s more popular messages.
@ThePresObama is among hundreds of accounts that parody and role-play as public figures, celebrities and characters.
The phenomenon entertains countless Twitter users, but not everyone is in on the joke.
Western Kentucky University’s President Dr. Gary Ransdell sparked a First Amendment debate when he forced the Twitter user behind @PimpRansdell to suspend the account.
Two USA TODAY writers found fake Twitter accounts in their name after they published investigative articles about a Pentagon contractor.
With an official policy that cracks down on accounts that impersonate others, Twitter asks users to reveal they are a parody in the account’s username or biography.
Marc Phillips, a 21-year-old senior at Ithaca College, feels the accounts are appropriate if they indicate they are fake and do not spread hate. The social media giant’s 140-character limit is prime for funny one-liners, he said.
“A lot of the parodies are sarcastic and tongue in cheek,” Phillips said. “Twitter is known as a snarky platform, and it’s easy to be curt and quick.”
Phillips said @EveryTweet_Ever, @ZooeySiri and @TextInstagram are his favorite satirical accounts.
The most successful parodies are relevant every day and do not concern a single pop culture event that is forgotten weeks later, he said.
Many users create parody accounts anonymously because it allows them to post unfiltered thoughts without consequences, he said.
Twitter comedy may be worth more than a passing chuckle. Caroline Barbee, a 22-year-old recent graduate from Clemson University, said her generation often uses parody accounts as an outlet to voice disappointment in the government.
“It’s laughing at the system because we’re frustrated with it,” Barbee said.
Barbee said the Huffington Post fell for North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue’s parody account @GovBevPerdue and cited it as a source during Perdue’s recent spat with Mississippi.
Besides political parodies, there are accounts that reconnect followers to their favorite movies, Barbee said.
@The_RickyBobby from Talladega Nights and several accounts channeling Mean Girls’ Regina George continue to entertain their fans, Barbee said.
Characters from television shows such as The West Wing, The Office and Mad Men also live on through Twitter.
Barry Merer, 51, tweets as @RogerSterlingNY, a popular Mad Men character. Merer said his account is one of 250 the show inspired, and Twitter conversations between them range from lighthearted to serious.
Three of the women characters recently tweeted an hour-long discussion on women’s rights in a 1966 context, Merer said.
The “Mad Men” fan base continues to enjoy the program’s biggest moments long after the episode ends, Merer said.
“A fictional man takes LSD on TV, I extend the script on twitter, and bang. It was amazing. Thousands of retweets and mentions,” Merer said.
Matthew Kenwright is a Summer 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about him here.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.