This morning, I streamed Superman II on Netflix for my kids while getting ready for work.
In one of the opening scenes, Clark Kent is assigned a three-page sidebar story on terrorists. Having no idea what Perry White is talking about, Clark asks again about the terrorists. To which Mr. White replies…
“Get your head out of the closet, Kent! Where’ve you been for the past twelve hours?” To which Clark replies… “Home.” Credit: IMDB
After overhearing that statement this morning, I started thinking (first problem). I then said to my wife (second problem)… “If Superman was ever going to use social media, it’d definitely be Twitter.”
She rolled her eyes.
Because of what transpired this morning, I have since spent the rest of my day creating a strategy for how Superman would use the different elements of Twitter to go about his daily life. From PR to staying informed to throwing off his enemies, I think I have it all covered.
I am now ready to share this with all of you. Your welcome.
Tweeting Updates
I’ve seen a couple takes online as to how Supes would go about updating his social media statuses. The most famous of these approaches (based on YouTube views, anyway) is from HowItShouldHaveEnded.com…
Not bad. But that approach seems a little redundant, don’t you think? Probably not helpful for attracting RTs, building up a real following, and keeping many followers.
If I were Superman’s social media messaging consultant: I’d suggest he use microblogging to tweet about what matters the most to him… you know - truth, justice, and the “American Way.” Or at least about things that he believes encompass all of those subjects. It would make sense that he would share inspiring or thought-provoking quotes, too. Updating his status on Twitter would be a part of an overall PR campaign - even if Superman isn’t interested in doing his own PR.
In addition, Twitter could also play a part in his ability to throw bad guys off. They all know he is headquartered in Metropolis, of course. But with some strategically placed updates and check-ins from the Fortress of Solitude, he could give the appearance of being out of the way.
Twitter Lists
If Superman took the time to develop lists on Twitter, he would almost certainly have geographically-targeted and topically relevant lists to stopping crime and bringing bad guys to justice. Some examples of those lists (thanks Listorious) might just be:
- Metropolis - a list of all Twitter users who live in Metropolis (sorry… not real)
- Crimestoppers
- Humanrights
- Breakingnews
- Socialjustice
A case could also be made for him to create private lists of “enemies” and of the members of the Justice League so that could keep tabs on all of his friends and enemies.
Twitter Saved Searches
If Superman took the time to save searches on Twitter, he would save searches for things he needs to be updated on in real time without regardl for who is tweeting, thus making it more effective for him to learn about problems faster. Some examples of Superman’s saved searches on Twitter might be:
- “trouble”
- “need help”
- natural disaster types (think “earthquake”, “tsunami”, “hurricane”, etc.)
It would also make sense for Superman to have saved searches about himself (“superman” and “clark kent”) and the people in his life he most frequently saves/fights - “lois lane” and “lex luthor” - as a way to keep tabs on anyone talking about them.
Twitter Direct Messages
Superman is a busy guy. And when he’s not flying around the world to save the day and pull cats out of trees, he is fronting as a mild mannered reporter. In the modern day, even a mild mannered reporter would have a smartphone. And because the smart phone would belong to “Clark Kent”, Superman would have to use the DM function on Twitter to communicate privately with his fellow superheros (or Lois) when in uniform.
Sending texts from Clark’s phone number would cause a potential disaster for Superman. And if there’s one thing a man leading two lives doesn’t need - it’s a reputation management problem for using a fake identity. Because c’mon, who would believe that the Kansas-bred reporter and the Man of Steel would use the same phone?
That’s right, no one.
Twitter Trends
Similar to Twitter saved searches, Twitter trends would be a way for Superman to see what Twitter users are talking about en mass around the world. This way, he could keep track of disasters both natural and human-caused, and respond to them in an “ASAP” fashion.
As opposed to his saved searches, Twitter trends would also allow him to stay on top of less common (but equally important) crimes and ill will events.
Are there ways that Superman would use Twitter that I missed? How do you think your favorite superhero would use Twitter? Let us know in the comments below.
