7 responses to the CIA on Twitter
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The CIA just launched a Twitter account in an effort to lighten its public image. The irony was not lost on the agency, which employed humor to attract the masses — 587,000 followers as of Monday morning, to be exact.
Thank you for the @Twitter welcome! We look forward to sharing great #unclassified content with you.
— CIA (@CIA) June 7, 2014
We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.
— CIA (@CIA) June 6, 2014
Predictably, the internet reacted. Here are seven responses to CIA Twitter venture.
1. The Twitter pun
Few could pass up the opportunity to 'follow' the CIA.
Dear @CIA - I'm following you. now you know how it feels #littlebrother
— Matt Maher (@mattmahermusic) June 6, 2014
People asking the new @CIA twitter account to follow them on twitter . Like they aren't already.... #cia
— Doofy (@the_doofy) June 9, 2014
2. The passive aggressive
Many lightly pointed out the irony of an agency notorious for its secrecy launching an 'operation' on a publicly accessible platform.
Welcome @CIA to @Twitter! I look forward to REDACTED and REDACTED...
— Patrick Tucker (@DefTechPat) June 6, 2014
@CIA We look forward to sharing great classified info about you http://t.co/QcdVxJfU4X https://t.co/kcEwpcitHo More: https://t.co/PEeUpPAt7F
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) June 7, 2014
3. The straight-up aggressive
Some weren't happy that the CIA made light of its operations.
Would be great if @CIA put at least as much effort into following the law as they do into getting Twitter followers: http://t.co/GVXgykVXjz
— AmnestyInternational (@amnesty) June 6, 2014
On June 9 2006, the @CIA murdered 3 prisoners at its secret torture camp in Gitmo http://t.co/BSDHKFvKWR those guys never got a first tweet
— executedtoday (@executedtoday) June 9, 2014
4. The best friend
Not everyone on Twitter is the CIA's enemy. The 25 accounts that the CIA now follows are fellow-agencies and not individuals, although as noted in number 1, the CIA still follows many individuals offline.
.@CIA, if that was, in fact, your first tweet, welcome! If you change your mind later on, might we recommend http://t.co/DRtDPXjF8O
— DARPA (@DARPA) June 6, 2014
Welcome to twitter @CIA! Although we've never "officially" met, I hear we run in the same circles.
— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) June 7, 2014
5. The media
Many journalists weren't phased by the CIA's attempt to makeover the agency's public image. Others took a page out of the CIA's book and revealed their own tactics.
That's why we need journalists. RT @CIA We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.
— CPJ (@pressfreedom) June 6, 2014
CIA confirms the agency has joined Twitter -> RT @CIA: We can neither confirm nor deny that this is our first tweet.
— Tech This Out (@TechThisOutABC) June 6, 2014
6. The curious
Some users just wanted to probe for answers.
The only way the @cia could top that tweet is if they revealed that Elvis and 2Pac were alive and living together
— samir mezrahi (@samir) June 6, 2014
.@CIA What is Claire Danes like in real life?
— Kaitlin Devine (@kaitlinbdevine) June 6, 2014
7. The grammar police
No government public relations effort would be complete without the token spellcheck critic.
Just seen that the @CIA has an official Twitter account but has a typo in the bio. The word, "nation's", shouldn't be capitalised. #CIAFail
— Snoop Higg #Parklife (@IamtheHiggster) June 9, 2014
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