Twitter Social Anthropology 2 (Unfinished)

Social Anthropology of Twitter #2: The Diplomacy of @KerryMP and the Fame of @mathewhulbert An analysis of human interaction on Twitter demonstrating conflict and friendship, antagonism and affection, goading and gloatingon Twitter emphasising the roles of diplomacy, fairness and humour in building community. markinreading (Mark Adams) 25th June 2009 UNFINISHED VERSION

Narrative The events in this story took place predominantly on the evening on 18th June 2009. The setting is largely UK as some 3.03m people sat down to watch the TV show, “Question Time” broadcast on BBC1 from 10.35 to 11.20 that evening. For some time, these people had also been indulging in texting and twittering about the show and tonight, some 2,500 texts and 1,095 tweets would be sent, broadcast on Ceefax for those who wished to participate. One of these people was @mathewhulbert. On June 17th2009, he had 247 followers. By the end of June 18th, this had grown by 12% to 277 and reached 297 within a week. The initial growth came about by an active engagement on Twitter with a politician, @KerryMP, who having been goaded to the edge of sanity threatened to ignore the man – unleashing a wealth of support from the Twitterverse. This is tale of fame, of manners and of the self-regulating community that is Twitter, with the Tweets in the story presented on a slide-by-slide timeline in the “Peruvian” style.

The Players Leading Actors: @mathewhulbert – a journalist, writer, son, brother and uncle. @KerryMP – Labour MP for Bristol East Extras: @chrishawes – a mildly interesting Scout leader, Conservative activist and blogger @doktorb – a player with no Twitter bio @markinreading – all I do is tweet around BBC’s Question Time TV programme

The Action Phase 1 – The Pre-Show Warm-up And Greetings (22:01 to 22:19) Phase 2 – Challenging Banter Start (featuring the Sarcastic Riposte Phase 3 – A Small Harmless Exchange (featuring a Claim, Suggestion, Response and a battle for the Lastword) Phase 4 – The Goads Phase 5 – The Threat of Action Phase 6 – Accusations Phase 7 – The Claim To Fame (“people are ignoring me”) Phase 8 – The Claim to Fame is Ridiculed Phase 9 – The Parties Seek Calm Phase 10 - @mathewhulbert Basks in Fame

@markinreading Phase 1: The Pre-Show Warm-Up And Greetings The evening starts shortly before BBC Question Time takes to the air. 22:01:00

@markinreading Phase 1: The Pre-Show Warm-Up And Greetings The Twitterers settle down and introduce themselves... 22:02:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 1: The Pre-Show Warm-Up And Greetings ...re-acquaint themselves with each other... 22:13:00

@ KerryMP Phase 1: The Pre-Show Warm-Up And Greetings ...and welcome new mates into the community ... 22:19:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 2: Challenging Banter Starts A Sarcastic Riposte to our new friend ... 22:22:00

@markinreading Phase 2: Challenging Banter Starts A ‘hard to understand’ Rhetorical Question 1 about a panellist... (Rhetorical Question 1: “What is a socialdemocrat”) 22:23:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 2: Challenging Banter Starts 22:24:00

@KerryMP Phase 2: Challenging Banter Starts An innocuous ‘thinking out loud comment’ 22:47:00

@KerryMP Phase 2: Challenging Banter Starts A follow-on innocuous thinking out loud comment 22:48:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 2: Challenging Banter Starts Innocuous comment gets challenged... 22:49:00

@KerryMP Phase 3: First Small Harmless Exchange Claimer makes a Claim 1... (Claim 1 is “HoC authorities would not let MP leave some blacked-out stuff”) 22:55:00

@markinreading Phase 3: First Small Harmless Exchange Respondee makes a helpful/humorous Suggestion 1... (Suggestion 1 “Poke HoC authorities on the knees”) 22:56:00

@KerryMP Phase 3: First Small Harmless Exchange Claimer offers humorous Response 1 to Suggestion 1 (Response 1 is “Prefer Kicking them in the shins”) 22:58:00

@markinreading Phase 3: First Small Harmless Exchange Respondee seeks (humorous) Lastword 1 (Lastword 1 is “Shins are good”) 23:00:00

@KerryMP Phase 3: First Small Harmless Exchange Claimer seeks (humorous) Lastword 2 (Lastword 2 is “Scared to take on Esther”) 23:02:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads Goader starts to goad Goadee with Goad 1... (Goader is @mathewhulbert and Goadee is @KerryMP. Goad 1 is “Why is Charlie Falconer defending Labour?”) 23:03:00

@KerryMP Phase 4: The Goads Goadee gives reasoned response in Rationale 1... (Rationale 1 is “nothing to do with whips office”) 23:05:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads Goader persists with new Goad 2... (Goad 2 is “Is this a Government running scared”?) 23:07:01

@chrishawes Phase 4: The Goads Goader 2 joins in and makes similar challenge with Goad 3... (Goader 2 is @chrishawes. Goad 3 is “Why wasn’t a minister put forwards”) 23:07:02

@KerryMP Phase 4: The Goads Goadee gives Rationale 2 to Goader 2 re Goad 3 (Rationale 2 is “Journo rings round until they find a taker”) 23:08:00

@doktorb Phase 4: The Goads Goader 3 enters with Goad x (Goad x is “You get promoted to be a Whip ifyou are not brave enough to face critics”) 23:10:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads Goader persists, now with Goad 4... (Goad 4 is “Labour could have provided a heavy hitter if they wanted to”) 23:10:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads Goader progresses straight to Goad 5... (Goad 5 is “Where are Labour’s ministers”?) 23:12:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads Goader makes further Goady comment...[precise context unknown] 23:13:00

@KerryMP Phase 4: The Goads Goadee responds with Rationale 2 expressing Frustration 1 ... (Rational 2 is “Goader didn’t understand previous explanation” and Frustration 1: “can’t be bothered to explain”) 23:15:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads ...Goader responds to Frustration 1 and repeats Goad 5 ... 23:16:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 4: The Goads Goadee follows up with Goad 6 ... (Goad 6 is “Is it labour policy to be not bothered to explain”?) 23:18:01

@KerryMP Phase 5: The Threat of Action ...Goadee responds with Threat 1 of Action 1 ... (Threat 1 is “I’m going to ignore you from now on” and Action 1 is the act of “Ignoring”) 23:18:02

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations ...Goader makes Accusation 1 and produces Goad 7 ... (Accusation 1 is “You are Rude” and Goad 7 is “Why bother Tweeting if you don’t debate”?) 23:19:00

@KerryMP Phase 6: The Accusations ...Goadee makes Accusation 2 yet offers Rationale 3 (Accusation 2 is “You are Intensely Annoying” Rationale 3 is “I’d rather be watching and engaging with others”) 23:20:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations Goader shares news of Action 1 and Exclamation 1 (Exclamation 1 is that Goadee’s action is “Unbelievable”) 23:20:01

@chrishawes Phase 6: The Accusations Goader 2 returns and attempts to calm Goader 23:20:02

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations Goader demands Justification 1 of Accusation 2 (Justification 1 (demanded) is: “Why am I annoying”?) 23:21:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations Goader repeats Accusation 1 and Goad 7 to Goader 2 (Reminder: Accusation 1 was “You are rude” and Goad 7 was “Can’t be bothered to debate”) 23:22:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations Goader repeats Accusation 1 and Goad 7 to Passerby 23:23:00

@KerryMP Phase 6: The Accusations 23:23:00

@markinreading Phase 6: The Accusations 23:24:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations 23:24:00

@markinreading Phase 6: The Accusations 23:26:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 6: The Accusations

@mathewhulbert Phase 7: The Claim to Fame Goader publicises Action 1 as Claim To Fame 1 (Claim to Fame 1 is “An MP is Ignoring Me”) 23:32:00

@markinreading Phase 8: The Claim to Fame Is Ridiculed 23:36:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 8: The Claim to Fame Is Ridiculed

@mathewhulbert Phase 8: The Claim to Fame Is Ridiculed 23:38:00

@KerryMP Phase 8: The Claim to Fame Is Ridiculed Goadee now offers an Olive Branch to Goader to “calm things down” 23:39:00

@KerryMP Phase 9: Both Parties Now Seek Calm 23:42:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 9: Both Parties Now Seek Calm 23:43:00

@markinreading Phase 9: Both Parties Now Seek Calm 23:44:00

@KerryMP Phase 9: Both Parties Now Seek Calm 23:45:00

@markinreading Phase 9: Both Parties Now Seek Calm 23:47:00

@KerryMP Phase 10: The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In 23:49:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 10: The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In 23:49:00

@markinreading Phase 10: The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In 00:01:00

@mathewhulbert Phase 10: The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In 00:03:00

@markinreading Phase : The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In 00:17:00

@KerryMP Phase : The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In The Day After 12:04:00

@KerryMP Phase : The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In The Day after 14:47:00

Phase : The Fame of @mathewhulbert Sinks In

Phase : @mathewhulbert Basks 23rd June

Phase : @mathewhulbert and @KerryMP Friends 22nd June

Phase : @mathewhulbert and @KerryMP Friends

Twitter Social Anthropology 2 (Unfinished)

Twitter Social Anthropology 2 (Unfinished)

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Twitter Social Anthropology 2 (Unfinished)