You may have seen that President Trump was celebrating Cinco de Mayo on Twitter by tweeting an image of him body-slamming a wrestler who was dressed in the role of a clown. And, in typical Trump style, he hashtagged the tweet # Twitter Teamtrump Potusmorsemashable“. Many users on Twitter were not pleased and expressed disdain for the hashtag. Before we get further, let’s be explicit that this hashtag is a joke. It’s juvenile and sloppy. It’s also, perhaps most importantly, just simply boring. Twitter has had difficulty regaining public trust since the election, and this hashtag only worsens issues. If you’d like to ensure your company’s image isn’t tarnished by the content you’ve posted, select another hashtag or refrain from using hashtags.
The Hashtag
Twitter has faced criticism since we launched the “PotusMorsemashable” hashtag in honor of President Donald Trump. The hashtag refers to the term used by presidents, “POTUS,” and is meant to be a fun way to describe the president’s tweets. However, there have been some users who have criticized the hashtag for being offensive and unprofessional.
Some believe that using a hashtag that refers to anatomical terms is unsuitable because it might be considered insensitive to certain people in members of the LGBTQ+ community. Some argue they believe that using this term reduces the significance of Trump’s role as president. Twitter has removed this hashtag from its site. However, it is still available via third-party platforms such as Hashtagify.
Although some might consider it offensive to use the “# Twitter Teamtrump Potusmorsemashable” hashtag offensive, some have been defending the use of it. Some say it’s an enjoyable way to talk about Trump’s tweets. Others argue that it only merits some of the attention it’s received. Team Twitter, Trump, may have selected a lousy hashtag to make a joke about their campaign. However, ultimately it’s the individual user’s responsibility to decide if they find the hashtag amusing or offensive.
The Origins of the Hashtag
Twitter’s Trump team’s “PotusMorsemashable” hashtag is so awful. The hashtag was meant to be a humorous method of mocking the president but could have been more successful. The hashtag was used to share pictures of the president, and humorous captions intended to make the president look funny. However, certain jokes included racist or sexist remarks, which was a primary offense. Many people used the hashtag to post images of the president, including sexual pedophiles and Nazi images. Twitter immediately removed all posts with the hashtag #PotusMorsemashable, but they were too late. We’d caused harm. Twitter apologized for what went wrong. However, it’s now too late to save the reputation of the hashtag.
The Issues with the Hashtag
Twitter’s “PotusMorsemashable” hashtag is terrible. It’s not president-approved. The second reason is that it’s not humorous. Thirdly, it could be an improved design.
Twitter’s team Trump picked the hashtag in a parody of the Obama-inspired hashtag campaign #ImWithObama, which helped propel him to victories in 2012 and 2008. However, the overall tone of the campaign must be redesigned for Twitter. The hashtag is too severe and formal as if somebody on Twitter didn’t have a sense of the funny and tried to appear clever by inventing an original hashtag.
The phrase also conflicts with Twitter’s other goals for branding. Twitter is a company that wants its users to feel it’s a larger community where they can express their opinions on anything and everything. Using a silly hashtag such as “PotusMorsemashable” doesn’t fit that impression. It’s more like Twitter is trying to become something it’s not, namely an official social media platform that journalists and officials of the government use.
Twitter Responds to the Hashtag
Twitter is responding to hashtag #PotusMorsemashable with some hilarious replies. The most well-known response comes from @TheTweetOfGod on Twitter, who wrote, “Hashtag games are for kids who can’t think of anything else to do on a Friday night.” Other responses include “#HashtagAssassin,” “#HashtagDirewolf,” and “#HashtagLoser.”
