Political

#FBPE: what does this hashtag mean?

The acronym FBPE, often used as the hashtag #FBPE, pops up frequently on social media, especially Twitter. It stands for ‘follow back, Pro-European Union’ and is the label used by a campaign to cultivate a strong pro-European voice online.

It has has been very successful in helping make this happen, as well as picking up strong hostility from the Brexit-supporting Daily Express.

The basic idea is simple: use it to highlight your support for the pro-European / anti-Brexit cause and others of like minds can more easily find you and join the pro-European community. It’s like a pro-EU version of the old ‘follow back Friday’ #FF trend on Twitter – an easy way to highlight who else may be of interest to you.

Mike Galsworthy, the founder of Scientists4EU, explained what it’s about in this video:

As ever, the open nature of Twitter means not all is sweetness and light. If you use #FBPE, watch out for the fake accounts too.

Other hashtags which often pop up in similar conversations are #WATON and #ABTV. A deliberate echo of #FBPE is the electoral reform supporting hashtag, #FBPPR.

On similar but more Liberal Democrat lines, there are three Twitter accounts I’d very much recommend you follow.

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Lib Dem Newswire is a “must read” (Telegraph) and “excellent” (Vince Cable).

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2 responses to “#FBPE: what does this hashtag mean?”

  1. Ouch! This is NOT an acronym. It is an abbreviation which has to be pronounced letter by letter “eff bee pee ee”. An acronym can be pronounced as a word – NATO, RADAR….

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