How Parody Accounts Changed the Twitter Landscape

I've been an avid fan of Twitter parody accounts since Day 1. During that time, there were just a handful of them and most were considered nuisance. @superstarmarian and @krizzy_kalerQUI (then known as @krisaQUInoSTD) were the most famous ones. Of course, there were several others who started to join the bandwagon, which include the likes of @AngeL_LocKring, @anneKURTISsmith, and @msruffarama. At that time, most of their activities were limited to either bashing, spreading rumors, doing exposes, or just trying to be funny.

Image by @lovipoekimo

In no time, at least 100 other Twitter parody accounts invaded the Twitterverse. And yes, most of them are alter-egos of famous celebrities like the Photoshop queen @lovipoekimo, the eloquent @OfficialCharing and @bimby_kalerQUI, the audacious @Queen_Barubal and @ruffaguchenez, showbiz insiders @annabellerama69 and @LolitSolis56, and the lovely @dmajaderatoo. What I like about them is that they seem to have an opinion on almost every topic imaginable...and that's good. This shows that the people behind these parody accounts are actually learned individuals who are mature enough and capable of critical thinking, and not just some loonies who spend their day doing nothing but tweet. These things matter especially when you consider the sphere of influence that they have. Aside from those I've mentioned, there are, of course, more of them. Not all of them will be your cup of tea but you'll surely be fond of some.

Image by @lovipoekimo

I've seen Twitter parody accounts grow and evolve from mere copycats, just cashing on the popularity of certain personalities, into key opinion leaders. And it didn't take them that long to gain traction...and from having just a hundred or so followers, many of them now have tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers. Now, we see a new Twitter landscape with a new breed of parody accounts who command a lot of following like @QueenAshi and @Senyora. It's no longer just about @superstarmarian or @krizzy_kalerQUI. Almost each and everyone of them became relevant and are considered to be an authority by their followers.

Image by @lovipoekimo

So what exactly do Twitter Parody accounts bring to the table? Just how powerful and influential can they be?

Brands

As a marketeer, we were taught that the 4 P's - product, price, place (distribution), and promotions - can build or destroy brands. Now, there are 5 P's, the fifth one stands for Parody. An example of which is @krizzy_kalerQUI who is known to be a supporter and promoter of telco giant SMART. We don't know for sure if s/he gets paid for it but s/he does his/her job well, including derailing SMART's competitors. With his/her thousands of followers, SMART would surely get a boost in sales, account subscriptions, or even in the number of contest participants (for online promos). Another would be @Senyora (Senyora Santibanez) who seems to be promoting the instant messaging app Line.

Trending Topics

In this day and age, only famous people or mainstream events get to trend on Twitter especially worldwide. But with the intervention of parody accounts, teleseryes like Be Careful With My Heart, Walang Hanggan, Ina, Kapatid, Anak, and more recently My Husband's Lover also get the spotlight. I'm not saying that these trending topics were mainly driven by parody accounts, as these soap operas involve celebrities, which often have huge fan bases. In any case, parody accounts definitely have the power to influence trending topics on Twitter.

News

This one is a no-brainer. Since parody accounts are almost always online, they are the first to know about the news when they happen. Naturally, they will also be your source of news if you are following them. Some of them even have tipsters, so they get to inform you about certain events before they reach traditional media.

Witty Quotes

While there are already Twitter accounts that do post witty quotations, jokes, and punch lines like @AngNasaBabaNito, there are still parody accounts that do this like @superstarmarian and @lovipoekimo. Most of the former's posts are funny, witty, and very entertaining. She actually makes Marian Rivera more likable.

So that my friends was how parody accounts changed the Twitter landscape. Twitter will never be the same again because of them. And I salute all the parody accounts out there for their unwavering commitment to entertain, challenge, and educate each and every one of us and the entire Twitterverse.

P.S. In case you haven't read my first write-up about Twitter Parody accounts, click here. There are so many other articles about them as well here.

Here are the exclusive Q&A's with my Twitter Parody friends:

Up Close and Personal with Lovi Poekimo http://ow.ly/esDKh @lovipoekimo


Meet Twitter's Sweetheart Majadera Salva-DOORS http://ow.ly/eFmpG @DMajaDERAtoo

Bimby KalerQUI Tell-All Interview! http://ow.ly/eU75a @bimby_kalerQUI

Annabelle Rama (Parody): The Monstrous Revelations http://ow.ly/eY7bT @annabellerama69

A Taste of Aljure Abrenica's Hotdog aka Life http://ow.ly/fhllM @HotdogAbrenica

Lovi Poekimo and Her Plans for 2013 http://ow.ly/iiF4A @lovipoekimo

I hope you had fun reading all of their Q&As!

Til then...

xoxo Nash