Subtweet
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About
A subtweet, a shorthand for "subliminal tweet," refers to a status update on Twitter that is covertly addressed to a specific individual without the handle of the recipient. Subtweets are closely associated with the hashtag #OOMF, an abbreviation of "one of my followers."
Origin
One of the earliest tweets using the word “subtweet” in this manner was posted on December 2nd, 2009 by @iChelz. In her tweet, she vents her frustration with seeing tweets from people who won't stay in touch with her in real life.
I hate when I see people who dnt txt or call me or even tweet me anymore make general tweets.Fuckk U. & Yes that was a SubTweet.
— Chelsea Rae. (@iChelz) December 2, 2009
Spread
On August 9th, 2010, “subtweet” was first added to Urban Dictionary[5], defined as “talking about someone behind there back but sort of in their face,” and approximately a week later, #subtweet[14] was added to the Twitter hashtag database Tagdef.[15] On September 4th, 2010, the full phrase “subliminal tweeting”[13] was also added to the Urban Dictionary.
Between 2010 and 2011, subtweeting was discussed on a number of personal blogs[16][17][4][18] while many entertainment gossip blogs reported on subtweets posted by celebrities Drake,[19] Rihanna[20] and Chris Brown.[21] In July 2011, the Twitter account @SubtweetSpotter[22] launched to redirect various subtweets to their probable recipients (shown below).
"
— Subtweet Spotter SA (@SubtweetSpotter) July 14, 2011JadoreEstrella: You're not a photographer. You just have an overpriced camera." Cc <a href="https://twitter.com/QhaweLuthuli">QhaweLuthuli
In February 2012, YouTuber qiasomar uploaded a YouTube video parodying the use of subtweets made between two friends (shown below). Throughout the first half of 2012, articles on subtweeting appeared on a number of blogs including Lovelyish[23], The Churchill Observer[24] and DreamWalker Social Marketing.[25] In October, the Daily Dot[26] posted an opinion piece on the prevalence of this act among teenage Twitter users followed by an article from Business Insider[9] explaining what subtweeting was that December.
Throughout 2013, stories describing the behavior of subtweeting appeared on BuzzFeed[27], the Huffington Post[28], xoJane[29], Digital Trends[7], Geek Sugar[8], and Complex[11], who looked at a number of other celebrities who subtweet including Nicki Minaj and Kim Kardashian. In October 2013, BuzzFeed[30] writer Myles Tanzer asserted that subtweets were out of style and people who have problems with others should not be afraid to directly send them an @-reply on Twitter.
Notable Examples
According to Topsy Analytics, the term “subtweet”[1] has been used on Twitter more than 665,000 times between September and October 2013, while its verb form “subtweeting”[2] has been used more than 335,000 times in the same time period.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Topsy – Tweet Statistics for "subtweet"
[2] Topsy – Tweet Statistics for "subtweeting"
[3] Twitter – @Subtweeting
[4] The Write Edition – The Art of SubTweeting
[5] Urban Dictionary – Definition for "subtweet"
[6] Urban Dictionary – Definition for "subtweeting"
[7] Digital Trends – Subtweeting: The Secret, Subtle Art of Twitter Gossip
[8] GeekSugar – Are You Guilty of This Twitter Trend?
[9] Business Insider – What Is Subtweeting?
[10] Tumblr – Posts Tagged "subtweeting"
[11] Complex – A Recent History of Celebrities Sub-Tweeting Each Other
[12] Answers.com – What does subtweeting on twitter mean?
[13] Urban Dictionary – Definition for "subliminal tweeting"
[14] Twitter – Tweet Results for #subtweet
[15] #tagdef – Definition of #subtweet
[16] A Boy Named Henry – You said what?
[17] Edugaytion – TT: #subtweet
[18] Rudeboyy – Guest Blog: “Don’t Subtweet Me Bro. I’m Serious.” by @iTalk2Slick
[19] Urban Informer – Future Isn’t Too Happy With Drake; Is Drake Sending Subtweets?
[20] Vibe Vixen – Did Chris Brown’s Mom Subtweet Rihanna?
[21] Toya'z World – Rihanna and Chris Brown’s “I Love You” subtweets cause an uproar amongst fans….
[22] Twitter – @SubtweetSpotter
[23] Lovelyish – Twitter: The New Facebook?
[24] The Churchill Observer – Cyberbullies use Internet to ‘subtweet’ their victims
[25] DreamWalker Social Marketing – Twitter: The Psychology of a "Sub-Tweet"
[26] The Daily Dot – YOLO: What is a subtweet?
[27] BuzzFeed – What Is A Subtweet?
[28] The Huffington Post – Subtweet Heat: Undercover Twitter Drama Is On Fire
[29] xoJane – Q: DO YOU SUBTWEET? A: IF YOU SAID "YES" THEN CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE OFFICIALLY PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE (I KNOW THIS BECAUSE I'M GUILTY, TOO)
[30] BuzzFeed – The Subtweet Is Dead
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Top Comments
Magnan
Oct 16, 2013 at 06:41PM EDT
JOaRiDrAN
Oct 16, 2013 at 08:29PM EDT