Black Social Media's Best and Worst in 2012

Beyoncé, Cory Booker and Brian McKnight kept us glued to our timelines this year.

By: Akoto Ofori-Atta | Posted: December 28, 2012 at 12:53 AM

Stacey Dash (Twitter); Cory Booker (Leigh Vogel/Getty Images); Frank Somerville (via blackgirllonghair.com)

Black Twitter in 2012: Plus Facebook, Instagram and More

Beyoncé, Cory Booker and Brian McKnight kept us glued to our timelines this year.

Akoto.Ofori-Atta

Beyoncé, Cory Booker and Brian McKnight kept us glued to our timelines this year.

12/28/2012 - 00:53

(The Root) -- Supercelebs launched social media profiles. Postelection Tumblrs and fake Twitter handles left us weak with giggles. Moving, stereotype-busting photos and videos were shared by millions. It was a good year, indeed.

Sadly, there was some ugly stuff, too. Racist and homophobic tweets surfaced, and the one couple we hoped would never get back together did -- and they told us so on Instagram.

Good or bad, we had tons -- maybe too much -- to tweet, post, pin and Instagram about in 2012. Here's hoping for more of the same in 2013, but only of the good stuff, of course.

Beyoncé Joins the Internet
Screenshot of Beyoncé's Instagram and Tumblr
First she joined Tumblr. (She announced her arrival with a scanned handwritten note. So retro. So cool.) Then she joined Instagram. And then we all cried because Beyoncé is not friends with any of us in real life.
Beyoncé and Michelle: Crazy in Love
Win McNamee/Getty Images
After sharing Tumblr letters and tweets about their profound adoration for each other, Beychelle was born, and our reserves for swooning over gorgeous and wildly accomplished black women were officially tapped out.
Touré's and Piers Morgan's Twitter Ego Trips
CNN
It started as a Twitter back and forth about Morgan's interview with George Zimmerman's brother and ended on Morgan's prime-time CNN show, where Touré continued to charge that Morgan's interrogation was too weak. It was an epic clash of egos, and Touré admitted it. "I got caught up with 'winning' on some masculine bravado b.s. when my whole point has always been justice for this boy," he tweeted. Anyway, we think Touré's ability to furrow only one eyebrow is more impressive than the argument he presented here.
Remember Roland Martin's Homophobic Super Bowl Tweet?
Via twirlit.com
He was temporarily suspended from CNN because of it. A reminder to all of us to think before we tweet.
Cory Booker, Superhero
Via politicalnewsnow.com
After Booker saved a neighbor from a burning house, the #CoryBookerStories meme, in which Twitter users imagined the Newark, N.J., mayor's other superhuman abilities, emerged. Key learnings: Cory Booker can read Japanese in German. He also won the Hunger Games.
The S--t ____ Say Meme
Screengrab of Billy Sorrells on S--t Black Girls Say (YouTube)
S--t Black Girls Say. S--t Black Guys Say. S--t White Girls Say to Black Girls. S--t Bourgie Black Girls Say. Stuff Super Saved Say. Yup, it's just as exhausting to watch.
Wait, Rue Is Black?
Amandla Stenberg in The Hunger Games (thehungergames.wikia.com); Collection of tweets (jezebel.com)
Yes. And some Hunger Games fans are racist.
Brian McKnight's Twitter Defense of His Nasty Song
Tweets via concreteloop.com; Brian McKnight (Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)
None of these points matter, Mr. McKnight, because your song is nasty. With great falsetto comes great responsibility. Please don't gross us out in 2013.
Michelle Obama Joins Pinterest!
Screengrab of Michelle Obama's Pinterest
It's a collection of family photos and White House moments. We're waiting for a "Michelle's Favorite Things” board, which would probably be better than Oprah's.
Kony 2012
Via BET.com
The YouTube video about Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony became one of this year's most viral -- and controversial -- campaigns about injustice, currently clocking in at more than 95 million views.
Most Tweeted Photo Ever
Via telegraph.co.uk
Maybe it's the intensity, or the sincere gratitude on President Obama's face. Perhaps it's that they appear to hug as equals -- not something we see often in first-couple embraces. Whatever the reason, the image of their cozy squeeze surpassed 500,000 retweets, making it the most retweeted photo in Twitter history.
Trump's Twitter Tirade After Obama's Victory
Donald Trump (David Becker/Getty Images); screengrab of his tweets (via wblk.com)
Shortly after President Obama was declared the victor of the election, many of his supporters tuned in to Fox News to revel in the dismay of his detractors. They should have rushed to the Donald's Twitter account instead. Ill-informed sore losing at its finest.
White People Mourning Romney
Screengrab from Tumblr.com
Wasn't this great?
Black People Mourning Romney
Screengrab from Tumblr.com
Wasn't this one even better?
Stacey Dash for Romney
Twitter.com
Her tweet in support of the GOP candidate caused a bizarre uproar. Apparently, black women aren't allowed to vote Republican.
Cory Booker, Snark Master
Via huffingtonpost.com
Someone should have told this lad that Mr. Booker was not the one.
Ratchetpiece Theater
Youtube.com
This Issa Rae Web production is a snark and sarcasm lover's fantasy. And her poignant critiques of pop culture will also make you feel really bad about dancing to Juicy J's "Bands a Make Her Dance."
Rihanna Gets Cuddly With Chris on Instagram
Twitter.com
She posted this photo and confirmed our worst nightmares.
Parody Twitter Handles
Big Bird (AP); Clint Eastwood (Stan Honda/Getty Images)
@FiredBigBird, @BindersofWomen and @Invisibleobama were a few of our faves.
Gay Kappa Wedding
Robert Brown and Nathanael Gay (YouTube)
Well, only one groom is a Kappa, but their touching wedding video went viral.
A Father Braids His Daughter's Hair
Frank Somerville with daughter (via blackgirllonghair.com)
This pic -- shared far and wide on Facebook -- tells our favorite black hair story of the year.
Akoto Ofori-Atta is the assistant editor and social media manager for The Root. Follow her on Twitter.
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