How #MAGA Divided Twitter

We all know 2016 has been a tumultuous year, from the Apoca-Election to a string of deaths from heroes and celebrities alike. The one tragedy no one predicted to divide the country (not on the color of a dress) was the 2016 Election.  The candidates, vastly different, issues, couldn’t have been more dire, and the constituents, couldn’t have been more apart. An election based on progress vs. tradition pushed the country to an ideological split larger than when Pangea broke apart into the the seven continents we now have today.

The divide was clear, but not physical. The ideological tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The division, summarized by hashtags, so indicative of the social media obsessed times of our age. #MAGA or Make America Great Again , seen as a plea to a nostalgic past for some and to others a message of hate, repression and false pride. This hashtag created an echo chamber for those to share their views no matter how contentious. It sparked debate on a battleground made of bytes, where the ammo was made of 150 characters not 30 rounds of bullets.

This hashtag opened up a community for those of conservative viewpoints to not only share their concerns but also feel validated in their open hatred for others whether that “other” was race, religion, sexuality or basic ideological difference. It fuels the inferno of fear and opens the door to inflammatory rhetoric across the board.

 

Is it Making America Great Again? Or Hate again?

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