There's A Special Super Tuesday Emoji On Twitter

As voters fill the polls across the country on Super Tuesday, social media feeds fill with posts from those who voted, and from those encouraging others to participate. Tweeters hashtagging their #SuperTuesday activities and trying to get out the vote will notice that Twitter has a Super Tuesday emoji that pops up with the hashtag. But some Twitter users, especially those on small mobile devices, may not be able to make out what the Super Tuesday emoji is. The fact that it kind of resembles another easily-recognizable emoji doesn't help.

The Super Tuesday emoji is Uncle Sam's hat, which is fitting for a big election day. However, it can fairly easily be mistaken for Twitter's emoji representing a bag of popcorn, which features red and white stripes like Uncle Sam's hat. That similarity is particularly funny given the theatrical quality the 2016 presidential nomination race has taken on. A popcorn bag decked out in stars and stripes might seem equally as fitting to anyone who has watched a Republican debate and felt as though the spectacle was not an actual political event, but a satirical performance. But no, Twitter has probably not cleverly designed its emoji as commentary on the oddities of this election. The emoji is most likely just a reference to Uncle Sam, the personification of the U-S-of-A, with the popcorn likeness being a happy accident.

Twitter has not confined its Super Tuesday activities to creating cute little images to pair with hashtags. Twitter teamed up with Associated Press and Google to help track users' interest in candidates and hot-topic political issues. The AP Election Buzz tool allows us to see which candidates are being discussed on Twitter and searched for on Google the most, and which issues have become more or less frequently discussed on Twitter. The data doesn't tell us if the candidates or issues are being discussed in a positive or negative light; it only tracks the traffic they are generating.

Twitter has become an important virtual political space; not only does the general public express (albeit very succinctly) views and share resources through Tweets, but political candidates have been highly active on the platform, letting voters know where they stand on key issues and disseminating information relating to campaign events and voting in different states. Give a tip of the Uncle Sam hat on Twitter this Super Tuesday and let your followers know what you're thinking about the race so far.

Believe it or not, both primaries and caucuses can be laugh-out-loud hilarious. Don't believe us? Have a listen to Bustle's "The Chat Room" podcast...