Hashtags and Memes: Social Media in 2016

10.Mannequin Challenge

If you are of a certain age, you will remember a popular game called “Statue” where, once ordered, you and your mates would remain frozen in whatever activity you were doing. Well, back then, we did not know we were on to something that would take hold years later from the White House to every corner of the world.

The Mannequin Challenge is a viral Internet video trend where people remain frozen in action like mannequins while a moving camera films them. The challenge helped send the song “Black Beatles” by Rae Sremmurd, which is usually played in the background as the challenge is happening to the top of the charts. Corporates were not left behind and took advantage to look cool and hip. Still a dumb challenge. 

9. The ‘M7’ Challenge

Shortly after attending a World Population Day commemoration in July, Uganda’s president Yoweri Museveni’s motorcade made a surprise stop along the main highway in his country’s Isingiro district.

The president (nicknamed M7 – a shortened, anecdotal abbreviation of his surname) came out of his limousine and proceeded to sit on a chair by the side of the road to make a phone call. Somebody took pictures of him and posted it online. The picture mutated into the hilarious hashtag #M7Challenge, which Kenyans colonised by posting funny pictures of themselves presumably talking on phones ala the big man from Uganda. 

8. Tear Gas Monday

On his Twitter handle, @Machuka, Mr Machuka posted a picture showing people grimacing under a cloud of tear gas, which he unwittingly captioned as; “You’re all invited for Monday’s teargas free testing”.

This was one of the numerous memes linked to the hashtag #TearGasMonday that had sprang from the politics of the day which had seen Kenya’s opposition leaders storming into the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices to forcibly eject its commissioners from office.

The police stepped in and unleashed teargas on them and their supporters, inspiring the branding of subsequent Mondays in the month of May as “Tear Gas Monday”. Thankfully, many of the social media messages crafted around the hashtag #TearGasMonday were light hearted, perhaps, to cool the rising temperatures of a volatile political season as the country approaches a plebiscite. 

7. If Matiangi was President

Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s drastic and unprecedented reforms in the sector earned him accolades from Kenyans who are used to people holding public offices not delivering. As usual, Kenyans started toying with the idea of what a Matiang’i presidency would do for the country especially when it comes to breaking cartels and demanding productivity.

David Owino, through his Twitter account, @MrAwesome_4 said it best, “We’re talking so highly of CS Matiang’i because we are used to inaction, looting and laziness. He just did his job. #IfMatiangiWasPresident.” We hope the good man continues with the good job and that his colleagues can step up. 

6. #KOT Vs Nigeria

What started as a friendly boasting between two countries after Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg visited both in late August degenerated into an all-out online “war” sparked by jealousy and envy. Kenyans questioned why Zuckerberg “wasted his time” in Nigeria and citizens of that oil-rich country didn’t take it kindly.

They “attacked” our women, our literacy levels, our dating skills and even our long distance athletes through the hashtag #KenyaVsNigeria. We responded in memes that poked fun at everything Nigerian as well, including its popular movies. If there is one thing Kenya has going for it, it’s the Kenya Online Defence Forces known as #KOT, they are a respecter of no one and when they come at you with their memes and biting tweets, they don’t miss. 

5. What Would Magufuli Do?

It’s no secret that 2016 was President John Magufuli’s year. The Tanzanian president hit the ground running with a series of economic reforms which Kenyans took note of with envy since his election last October. He banned overseas travel for his own civil servants to cut government wastage, made surprise visits to state hospitals to check their condition and fired corrupt officials left right and centre.

Kenyans loved his perceived decisiveness and joined in the conversation centred around the classic hashtag #WhatWouldMagufuliDo? A hilarious meme was from a Nairobi Instagram user, Herbert Masua, who posted a picture of himself in mechanic overalls, standing next to a vehicle he had just repaired. Apparently, the vehicle had been difficult to repair up until he figured what Magufuli would do if he was in his shoes. 

4. ChaseBank’s collapse was blamed on us.

When rumours started going round about an impending collapse of Chase Bank over liquidity problems, they were serious but not exactly a cause for alarm for many until the bank was eventually placed under receivership early this year.

The Central Bank of Kenya Governor Patrick Njoroge, however, turned the argument on its head by blaming “malicious comments” made by Kenyans on WhatsApp and other social media platforms as part of the reason why the institution went under.

He blamed the platforms saying they caused a bank run in what he famously said was “shouting ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre”. The good news is that the bank re-opened under the stewardship of Kenya Commercial Bank and is now a turnaround story waiting to be written. 

3. Pauline Shamola

She is the customer care attendant who knelt down to assist William Kisumo, a 52-year-old disabled Tanzanian who had checked in to buy and fix a new line at the telcom’s Nakuru retail centre. It was a moment of compassion that was frozen in time and touched many Kenyans who commended Shamola and gave her company a good image boost. Nairobi Woman Rep Rachel Shebesh tried to recreate the moment but it failed spectaculary and only attracted wrath and mokery online. But the fact that it was the telcom’s own customer care team who took the picture and posted it online puts paid to Steve Biko Wafula’s suggestion that organisations can, occasionally, sponsor an agenda and distribute it online for their own ends. 

2. #DeportKoffiOlomide

The veteran Congolese Lingala hitmaker made the mistake of not only kicking one of his female dancers but he did it on Kenyan soil in the full glare of cameras. When Kenyans saw the video online, they reacted and quickly set up a fiery hashtag #DeportKoffiOlomide.

The kick to the dancer’s gut was brutal and has no place anywhere in society. Kenyans were relentless in ensuring that action was taken and the government heeded the call and the Lingala maestro’s show was cancelled and was on the next plane to Kishasa and he has since apologised trying to get on the good books of Kenyans and the government. 

1. Project X

A night of debauchery in a private residence slated for March 12 got sabotaged by the very means it used to advertise itself. Project X’s Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and Twitter advertising grew so viral as to attract the attention of the busybody known as Ezekiel Mutua.

Mutua, the Kenya Film Classification Board boss labelled it as a potential porn-recording event that had to be stopped.

He banned the event and ordered the police to raid and arrest revellers. Of course this split Kenyans with many hailing Mutua’s decision while others said he was just meddling.  Finally due to an overwhelming public outcry, the organisers eventually cancelled the event.

Have a digital Christmas and a trending new year!