The parody account and the rise of social fiction

Every so often we come across a social media trend that’s worth a special mention, and recently the rise in “social fiction” has caught our eye. Social Fiction is the use of social media to tell a fictional story in real time. Often fictional characters have their own social media accounts and posts updates as if they were real people.

What’s even more interesting is that those who follow the profile can comment and interact with the fictional character – thus immersing themselves into the narrative, and changing the story as a result. As a digital agency, we think there’s some real potential in creating a social media strategy using social fiction, and we can already see brands using it as a means to strengthen their mascot’s personality or promote characters found within books, TV and film.

Telling stories through social media isn’t new, but in the last year it’s grown in popularity. Twitter now even holds a “Twitter Fiction Festival” that invites authors to write stories through tweets. Recently, a new project known as Hawk Funn has also gained international attention because it tells the story of Hawk and his fictional friends through Facebook and Twitter, similar to a living comic book. The recent boom in social fiction has given us a good excuse to scour Twitter and showcase our favourite parody accounts (arguably one of the first forms of social fiction since even parody accounts that are based on real people create a fictional persona). So without further ado…

Cite’s Top 11 Parody Account Countdown

11) Kim Jong Number Un (@Kimjongnumberun)

North Korea may be an enigma, however its leader is quite palpable in this parody account – portraying a lifestyle whereby he continuously wrestles the contrasting notions of wanting to destroy the world, yet also be at the forefront of popular culture.

10) Prince Charles (@Charles_HRH)

In real life, Prince Charles personifies diplomacy; yet in this parody account he doesn’t do it too well. You name it, and the parody Prince Charles has an outspoken opinion: The government? Yes. France? Yup. Miley Cyrus? Yeah. You get the picture.

9) Soccer Guy (@Usasoccerguy)

This American fan is expressing his new-found love for the beautiful game via Twitter. The only problem is that he’s not quite up to scratch with regards to the sport’s terminology, or the players’ names/nationality (Yolo Toure is a personal favourite); thus making this a brilliant parody account.

8) God (@TheTweetOfGod)

Continuously avoiding queries that question the bible, and acting in ways you wouldn’t expect – this parody account is one of the best that can be found on Twitter.

7) Big Ben (@Big_ben_clock)

Want to visit London and hear the famous ‘bongs’ of Big Ben? Well this is the next best thing. Who needs a watch, when you have this parody account?

6) Emperor Palpatine (@lordpalpatine)

Lord Palpatine has a lot of spare time these days – most of which he spends trying to infiltrate religious organizations and government institutions. Basically he’s just trying to relive the good old days in this parody account. A perfect account to follow for Star Wars fans on Twitter.

5) Death Star PR (@Deathstarpr)

It’s safe to say that the Empire has seen better days. That’s where the ‘Death Star PR’ parody account comes in – continuously using Twitter as a means to change their negative image into a positive one. This sometimes goes horribly wrong however, as failed attempts to blow up Earth are occasionally leaked.

4) Coffee Dad (@Coffee_dad)

A dad who continuously tweets about coffee (and constantly misuses the hashtag) doesn’t sound thrilling – but if you delve deeper into the parody account, you start to uncover a dark and tragic past. It seems like coffee is his only comfort.

3) Not A Cop (@Notapoliceman)

Being an undercover cop is hard – yet this policeman is hoping to stem suspicion by using Twitter as a means to catch potential criminals. Some of the tweets are not exactly subtle; however, thus making way for a hilarious parody account.

2) Taylor Swift (@Whattaylordoes)

Poor Taylor has had her fair share of heartbreaks if her songs are anything to go by. It was only a matter of time until someone created a parody account that supposedly represents her every day thoughts.

1) You’ve Been Framed (@Youvebinframed)

Want to be transported back to the 90’s? Then this parody account is for you. Bask in its creativity and hilarious scenarios – that perfectly resemble clips seen on the show.

Agree with our order or think we missed one? Why not leave a comment and tell us about a parody account that you love. We’d also love to hear your thoughts on social fiction!

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