YouTube / TwitterIf you’re a social media user then chances are today you’ve been buried in Brexit / Remain statuses, tweets, and all things referendum.
If you’re a serial social media junkie, then chances are you probably noticed ’93yr mum’ trending like wildfire across the four eternal corners of Twitter.
And by wildfire, I mean not only was ’93yr mum’ trending, but so was ‘took 93’, ‘my 93’, and ‘Keith’. But who exactly is Keith?
This is Keith:
https://twitter.com/keitheadams/status/745921551661469696
‘Keith’, also known as Keith Adams, is the founding pillar of this Brexit infused tweet that essentially irritated the fuck out of Twitter users everywhere, and resulted in some serious parody action.
But first, let me show you the immediate swarm of crazed, cynical tweeters who reacted in their thousands to the tweet:
[tweet https://twitter.com/Joshalar/status/745929088641208320 conversation=”false”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/tommulvey95/status/745945974258999297 conversation=”false”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/ticsmon/status/745928140376145921 conversation=”false”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/joelgolby/status/745933552160751617 conversation=”false”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/fazza95/status/745929433928896512 conversation=”false”]
[tweet https://twitter.com/OfficeToOcean/status/745935847455887360 conversation=”false”]
Yeah, people weren’t buying it.
But, of course, Keith being Keith, didn’t delete the tweet, or admit he was wrong, or even just ignore that this shitstorm had ever happened.
Instead, he went well out of his way to back himself up. However, he entirely failed to actually successfully back himself up at all:
https://twitter.com/keitheadams/status/745932650297331712
https://twitter.com/keitheadams/status/745933707236773888
https://twitter.com/keitheadams/status/745937196411142144
Apparently, his original tweet went mega viral so quickly because it was picked up by prominent pro-Brexit campaigners, Lord Ashcroft and Louise Mensch.
My Mum too at 95 and registered blind is a BeLeaver…bless pic.twitter.com/EjDOAZ9fvh
— Lord Ashcroft (@LordAshcroft) June 23, 2016
In the meantime, this story massively spiralled out of control, as innumerable parody tweets came driving out of Keith’s abyss:
Just took 93 yr Mum to vote, she's registered blind. In very loud voice she said "WHY YA LYIN FOR?" A cheer went up pic.twitter.com/JIMsesiyHe
— Jamie Roberts (@VincenzoJRezwah) June 23, 2016
https://twitter.com/RoryMeep/status/745984042273767424
Just took 93yr Mum to vote. She shouted, "revolution today can only be the direct destruction of capitalist social relations." All cheered.
— michael (@Sisyphusa) June 23, 2016
Took 93yr Mum to vote. Told her I was going to embellish this story massively for social media. She said "watch this", and chinned a migrant
— Dai Lama (@WelshDalaiLama) June 23, 2016
Just took 93yr mum to vote, she yelled "Why does that sign say Dignitas?". A loud cheer went up from waiting doctors.
— David (@lfcmaestro23) June 23, 2016
Just took 93yr Mum to vote.She played the opening rift from 'Should I stay or should I go' by The Clash. A cheer went up from waiting voters
— Red Wazza (@redwazza1) June 23, 2016
Just took 93yr Mum to vote, she's registered blind. She's unaware I took her to Ladbrokes where she voted for Iceland to win the Euros
— Ollie Barnes (@barnesy07) June 23, 2016
Just took 93yr Mum to vote, she's registered blind. In a very loud voice she said, "Play the 4-4-2" A cheer went up from waiting voters.
— ㅤ (@ProudieYT) June 23, 2016
Took 93yr blind mum to vote. Loudly she said "This the box for full communism?" A cheer went up from waiting voters https://t.co/x7F6ILNwbk
— libcom.org (@libcomorg) June 23, 2016
But Keith’s too busy setting up his new, and first, blog to care:
https://twitter.com/keitheadams/status/745939654717898752
And he’s only gone and bloody done it too:
https://twitter.com/keitheadams/status/745989742672642052
Click the link for a thrilling read – alternatively, we’ve got some of our favourite quotes here, which include Keith, somewhat, admitting he lied:
What happened this morning when she voted and did it break electoral law? When we arrived at the polling station, there was a small queue, maybe 8 to 10 people in front of us.
We approached the desk, I handed over Mum’s polling card and after they found her on the register they asked her to confirm her name and handed her a ballot paper already folded in half.
I asked if I could take her to the polling booth and was told I could. I took Mums arm to the booth and stepped back about 2 metres.
At this point she turned and asked me which box was for out. I told her and at no time did any of the officials, who were only 2 metres away, query anything.
Now………. I DID over egg the cheer, it was more of smiles, nodding heads and murmurings. So for that I apologise and accept a guilty verdict.
Smiles, nodding heads, and murmuring – sounds like a pretty normal queue to me, Keith.
However, he did offer an apology.
At the end of the day, Keith probably should’ve just deleted the original tweet as soon as things spiralled into the extraordinary, instead of digging himself an innumerable hole into the deep.
Although it does stand as quite a miserable reminder of the times that, on perhaps the most important and monumental day of our generation, the vote to leave or remain in the EU, the thing that makes global headlines is one man’s viral tweet.
The power of social media is terrifying…
