#Hashtags
Did you delete your Uber account over the weekend after #DeleteUber began to trend? Or maybe you decided to boycott Starbucks instead?
Social media has had a busy weekend with the new President’s executive orders.
One particular executive order, a 90-day ban on people coming from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya and Somalia, has caused protests at airports and public spaces in Los Angeles, Washington, Dallas, New York, Portland, Atlanta and more. New refugee admissions are suspended for 120 days, with Syrian refugees being banned indefinitely.
“I’ll tell you the whole story of it.” Former New York mayor Rudy W. Giuliani eagerly told Judge Jeanine Pirro in an interview that went viral when the President said that the ban isn’t a Muslim ban. “When he [Trump] first announced that, he said, 'Muslim ban.' He called me up. He said, 'Put a commission together. Show me the right way to do it legally.' "
The ban has generated numerous hashtags over the weekend, aimed directly at companies that weren’t fast enough in condemning it. There was a backlash against Uber when it continued to operate, while taxis refused to pick up passengers at JFK in opposition to the ban. Lyft benefited from the negative reaction against Uber even though it too, continued its services.
Although other retailers and consumer brands like Coca-Cola and Nike, condemned the ban, Starbucks faced the most heat after its Chairman and CEO, Howard Schultz, told its employees of the company’s plan to hire 10,000 refugees, in a letter on Sunday.
“There are more than 65 million citizens of the world recognized as refugees by the United Nations, and we are developing plans to hire 10,000 of them over five years in the 75 countries around the world where Starbucks does business.” The letter stated. “And we will start this effort here in the U.S. by making the initial focus of our hiring efforts on those individuals who have served with U.S. troops as interpreters and support personnel in the various countries where our military has asked for such support.”
#BoycottStarbucks was Twitter’s No. 1 trending term on Monday, with countless users saying that they'll turn to Dunkin Donuts and their local coffee shops for their coffee.
Twitter has seen its influence rise at a fast rate, thanks in part to our new President, who has used the social networking site to praise his supporters, bash his critics, talk about his new job as President of the United States, and conduct foreign policy. When he tweets something negative about a compnay, then the posibility of that company's stocks falling is very likely, as was seen with aircraft manufacturer Boeing Co. in early December and defense giant Lockhead Martin a week later.
After #DeleteUber began to trend, celebrities and twitter users alike called on their followers to delete their Uber apps, and use Lyft instead, after it donated $1 million to the ACLU, a nonprofit civil liberties organization that has seen its donations soar after Trump became President. Uber later said that it will create a $3 million defense fund to help drivers affected by the ban.
But the damage has already been done. As of today, Lyft is No. 8 in Apple's app store, while Uber is No. 17.