In the past, slanderous things were said in the hallways and on bathroom walls. Now, things like “so-and-so is a whore,” are no longer scrawled on painted brick, but are typed furiously and posted on social media. This is the trend of confrontational statements on Twitter — but with a catch.
“[Subtweeting] is tweeting about someone but not tagging them in it,” freshman Emma Reynolds said.
Urban Dictionary defines a subtweet as, “the shortening of ‘subliminal tweet,’ which is directly referring to a particular person without mentioning their name.”
Students support the act of subtweeting, as it is non-confrontational, and if the subject of the tweet discovers the tweet, it could be beneficial.
“Bullying is kind of a part of childhood development,” sophomore Caden Henry said. “I’d say that [subtweeting] is more of a form of criticism and fitting everyone into social hierarchy.”
While some subtweeters say it’s a good way to vent, others aren’t as supportive.
“It goes back to what I tell my 6-year-old everyday, you know, treat everyone how you want to be treated,” guidance counselor Natalie Konkel said. “The moral code of don’t say something about somebody unless you would say it to their face. Our biggest issue nowadays with technology is this invisible shield, but the reality is it’s out there for everybody to see, and it can still be really hurtful.”
Last school year, freshman Julia Randolph was a victim of subtweets.
The subtweeting occurred about three times over the span of a week. Randolph never received an apology for the tweets, but she is willing to forgive and forget.
“The person who did it did it about everyone, so it seems a little less cruel because I know she wasn’t just targeting me,” Randolph said. “I probably would have been more offended had she said it in person.”
Though the subtweeter may not have felt guilty, Randolph did when she retaliated.
“The same person who subtweeted about me, I subtweeted back,” Randolph said. “No one saw it, but I deleted it because I didn’t want to start anything again.”
The opportunity to anonymously vent about others could cause problems and spark a question about online anonymity and cowardice.
“A lot of people can be anonymous or make anonymous Twitter [accounts], or on forums they can be anonymous and just hate on people,” Randolph said.
People who victimize others on social media can risk losing others’ trust and respect.
“It made me initially dislike her. At first, I didn’t like her, but it made it a deeper dislike,” said Randolph. “I resent her, but I [no longer] dislike her.”