Blurbs: trending on Twitter

Among the daily changing trends on Twitter, the following hashtags were among the ones that were recently popular. Although each hashtag was used for a different purpose and situation, all described world events that had occurred which affected not only adults, but students as well. Whether the popular trends depict remembrance such as #JeSuisCharlie, or giving us a laugh with posts with a #ThanksMichelleObama, they keep us informed about happenings around the world

#JeSuisCharlie and #JeSuisAhmed: On Jan. 7, a masked gunman attacked the office of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo, leaving 12 people dead including its editor and two policemen. Twitter users used the hashtag #JeSuisCharlie (I am Charlie) in solidarity for the victims.

Echoing this, the #JeSuisAhmed (I am Ahmed) hashtag was used to point out that one of the French police officers shot in the event was Muslim, and had died defending the newspaper, even though it had a history of ridiculing his religion in the past.

#FF: Originally started in 2009, the #FF (Follow Friday) hashtag has once again been gaining momentum since the beginning of 2015. It represents an international Twitter event that happens each week where users recommend other users to follow. Twitter users add the hashtag, @ the name of the person or people they are recommending and sometimes a reason for the recommendation to their message.

The hashtag’s aim is to show appreciation to followers while trying to gain more followers for their own page, increasing their social media network.

#BestMemoriesof2014: As 2014 came to close and the new year, 2015 began, Twitter users used this hashtag to share their favorite memories of the year with their family and friends.

#ThanksMichelleObama:  In 2012, first lady Michelle Obama tried to promote healthier school meals by encouraging more fruits, vegetables, whole grain and less sodium. Although schools have begun to change the standards of school lunches, many are still behind. Starting around the end of November 2014, unsatisfied students posted pictures depicting unsavory school lunches tagged with the hashtag #ThanksMichelleObama on Twitter, as a sarcastic thanks to the first lady’s efforts.

#RapedButNeverReported: In November 2014, thousands of survivors of sexual assault who had never reported their incidents came forward and shared their victim stories with the hashtag #RapedButNeverReported. The hashtag became surfacing in response to the allegations against ex-CBC radio host Jian Ghomeshi for engaging in violent, non consensual violent acts with women.

#AlexFromTarget: In November 2014, 16-year-old Target worker Alex Lee became an overnight sensation on Twitter and a meme after a girl posted a picture of him on the social networking site with the caption “YOOOOOOOOOOO” and #AlexFromTarget. Soon afterwards, he was also invited to be on Ellen Degeneres’s show. However, he was soon exposed to the negative consequences of sudden fame — hateful private messages and death threats.