"On 24 September, a White House communications adviser posted a video on X of a new presidential Walk of Fame, captioned: Wait for it, with a pen and eyes emoji. The video pans over a succession of presidential portraits to reveal in place of Joe Biden's portrait a framed photograph of an autopen signing his name. The sight-gag references the Maga conspiracy theory that, unbeknownst to Sleepy Joe, unscrupulous aides used the autopen to sign pardons in his name."
"This combination of cheap humour and rage bait is the province of the shitpost, a genre of low-effort social media content designed to amuse insiders and annoy outsiders. Like so much of internet culture, shitposting was pioneered on the message board 4chan but Donald Trump is a natural. On the 12th anniversary of 9/11, he tweeted: I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th."
"The shitpost forces a choice: undermine public decorum by laughing along, or get offended, outing yourself as a hater and a loser. The deliberate impropriety of the shitpost makes good-faith engagement impossible. Like a children's game of made you look, responding means either sinking to the level of the shitpost or looking ridiculous by responding earnestly to a low-effort provocation, which only proves the shitpost has had its intended effect."
A White House communications adviser posted a video on X replacing Joe Biden's portrait with an autopen photo, referencing a MAGA conspiracy about aides signing pardons. The post delighted supporters and outraged critics, intentionally provoking reactions. Shitposting is a genre of low-effort social media content that amuses insiders and annoys outsiders, with roots on 4chan and frequent use by Donald Trump. The tactic forces audiences to choose between laughing along or appearing offended, undermines public decorum, and makes good-faith engagement impossible. Trump’s nicknaming exemplifies how nicknames function as political shitposts that humiliate opponents.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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