Subtweeting: it’s the internet equivalent of talking about someone behind their back or insulting someone via stealth. For example, if someone tweets, “Some people really need to mind their own business,” without mentioning who they are referring to, that would be considered a subtweet.
A subtweet specifically means you are commenting about someone but you do not tag their handle.
For those people who are new to Twitter, an @ symbol followed by a person’s Twitter username is known as a Twitter mention. This means that they will receive a notification whenever you include them in a tweet, and other people will be able to see the link to their Twitter account. The person mentioned will keep receiving notifications related to the tweet in which they were mentioned.
Subtweets often involve vague language, sarcasm, or passive-aggressive comments to convey the message without directly addressing the subject.
Subtweets are distinctly not what Twitter set out to encourage, but they’re here and they’re happening. It once again shows how social networks are always more controlled by their users than by their infrastructures.
With nearly two decades in the industry, Belle Strategies’ owner, Rachel Creveling, is a seasoned business consultant who crafts comprehensive frameworks that integrate operations, marketing, sales and HR to position her clients for optimal success. She excels at incorporating trending tech ethically and studied Strategies for Accountable AI at Wharton.