HINSDALE, Ill. — Twitter user Shannon Nichols updated her profile bio today, moving “Trump Supporter” ahead of her other chosen descriptors of “Christian, Mother, Entrepreneur, Police Wife, Unapologetically Straight & White,” confirmed family members who muted her long ago.
“Do I love Trump more than Jesus? At this moment, yes, I do. I know that Jesus understands why I put Trump first. Jesus would have put Trump in his Twitter bio if he were alive today,” Nichols said to anyone who would listen. “My 15 followers need to know this election was stolen from him and that I’m doing my part to keep America great. Sure, I have my bumper stickers, lawn signs, flags, T-shirts, sweatpants, table cloth, hat, and framed photos of Trump to show my unflinching support, but thanks to China unleashing COVID on us, nobody can see those things. Twitter bios are a sacred place, and I want to make sure Trump is well displayed in mine.”
Nichols’ family has not let this change in her profile go unnoticed.
“I check in on my mom’s Twitter feed a few times a month so she doesn’t realize I blocked her,” Nichols’ daughter Arwyn said without looking up from her phone. “Her priorities have definitely been shifting as the election gets closer. And as the ‘mother’ label slips further and further down her list, I wish I could say it doesn’t hurt. Then again, we haven’t spoken since I put #AOC in my bio.”
Social media expert Antoinette Tate is very familiar with the importance of ranking one’s identity in a bio.
“Particularly with those who are politically active, they make it a point to announce their affiliation, as if that is the most important part of their identity — and also, I believe, to invite people who disagree with them to engage on the platform,” Tate explained while deleting her own Twitter account. “While it was once a place to playfully state your Hogwarts’ school or preferred video game console, now it’s more important than your professional resumé. This is like a high-stakes Myspace Top 8.”
Nichols has since added even more American flag emojis to her bio, just in case people don’t get that she “loves America.”