There is a story behind every hashtag. Whether it be long or short, some are more memorable than others. I would classify #BlackGirlMagic as one of the more memorable ones. Said to have been created by feminist writer CaShawn Thompson in Elle Magazine, #BlackGirlMagic holds a strong online presence with a mission of embodying the strength, beauty and soul of black women. #BlackGirlMagic is used as a counter to the negative portrayals of black women in media.
More #BlackGirlMagic in formation. pic.twitter.com/bOJq8FWQXT
— Lilly Workneh (@Lilly_Works) February 8, 2016
Just how many? There are multiple mentions of #BlackGirlMagic across many platforms. Twitter holds the greatest mentions with over 60,000, followed by tumblr (32,900), news articles (525), blogs (286), and forums (56).
When did tweets peak? Social activity was at its greatest on from February 6 to February 8, before, during, and after Beyoncé’s performance of “Formation” at Super Bowl 50. During that time, Essence also released its #BlackGirlMagic February Issue.
How far was the reach? #BlackGirlMagic is predominant in the United States at 91.5%. Nevertheless, it does have a presence in Canada (2.2%), South Africa (2.2%), the United Kingdom (1.1%), Slovenia (1.1%), Tuvalu (0.6%), India ( 0.6%) and Sweden (0.6%).
What did people talk about? #BlackGirlMagic wasn’t just trending during Black History Month, it goes beyond being just a hashtag during that month. There is a history behind it and women represented by it.
People spoke frequently about Beyoncé. The Beyhive spoke about Bey and supported her “Formation” using #IStandWithBeyonce in their conversations. Conversations involving #blacklivesmatter, women, essence magazine and black excellence are all present in “Formation”, which reminds of us of a historical moment.
How did coverage last month compare? #BlackGirlMagic is pretty comparable to last month although, the peak occurred on April 5th. However, the trending topic was #BlackGirlsRock because of the BET Black Girls Rock Show.
What was the most popular video? The most retweeted video on Twitter with #BlackGirlMagic came a couple of days after Beyoncé dropped her single “Formation” and the accompanying music video.
this is what Bey did it for. ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿#IStandWithBeyonce #Formation #BlackGirlMagic 👑🐝💙✨ pic.twitter.com/lJtdjaFf8o
— maryfairy (@Trutorie_) February 11, 2016
According to the time of tweets peak, we can see how important opinion leaders are.
I really enjoyed this analysis of the #BlackGirlMagic hashtag as I wrote a paper on this for another class. It is important to view hashtags that are very valuable and important to change discourse and promote equality.
I noticed think I saw this hashtag when I was looking at #beyonceboycott tweets but didn’t realize how much it is used on Twitter! It is awesome to see a hashtag that not only represents black pride but also female pride.
I haven’t seen this hashtag before reading this post but it makes a lot of sense especially around Beyoncé’s Super Bowl performance. You did a great job outlining everything!
I’ve never heard of the #Blackgirlmagic hashtag on Twitter – I’ve seen it with the Beyonce Formation video, but I didn’t know so many other people were using it! It’s a really awesome hashtag and I’m glad to see it becoming a popular and stable tag.
Really great and important topic! Very relevant to the time. I liked how you incorporated the sysomos graphs into your analysis smoothly.