Milifandom Twitter storm: What is it, who started, is it the new Cleggmania
Ed Miliband has taken a lot of stick over the last five years for not being the most charismatic of political leaders.
But the wonders of social media have allowed Ed's fans to amplify their voice and express their devotion without being spun by the gatekeepers of old media.
Twitter has exploded with a host young female admirers of the Labour leader posting messages of support for the much maligned Miliband. The hashtag #miliandom has been trending overnight and into this morning.
So here's everything you need to know about the outpouring of support for Miliband.
Who started Milifandom?
17-year old Abby is the face of Milifandom and kicked off the trend and is leading the charge of a large group of teenage tweeters to express their love for Ed Miliband.
Am I tough enough to lead the #Milifandom? Hell yes I'm tough enough!
— Abby Tomlinson (@twcuddleston) April 21, 2015
Why are they doing it?
Abby says the Milifans are using social media to support Labour because Rupert Murdoch has been "bullying Ed." Speaking, to Buzzfeed, Miliband's devoted supporter said:
We just want to change opinions so people don’t just see the media’s usual distorted portrayal of him – and actually see him for who he is. Ed is just a great guy and how many other politicians have a fandom?
#milifandom started because we were all fed up of Rupert Murdoch bullying Ed and people believing the lies he tells about him. #VoteLabour
— abby (@twcuddleston) April 22, 2015
The best of Milifandom
If @Ed_Miliband followed me I would probably cry haha
— Soph 💛 (@Salazariscool) April 20, 2015
https://twitter.com/ProbablyG/status/590649547153612801
You're welcome, #milifandom. pic.twitter.com/muKhkkpNvg
— Kayleigh Donaldson (@Ceilidhann) April 21, 2015
Labour's reaction
Leading shadow cabinet member and Ed Miliband ally Sadiq Khan has got it in on the trend. This morning Abby received a warm reply from none other than the Labour leader himself.
And I thought I was an @Ed_Miliband fan… http://t.co/BpHk4iX2zX #milifandom
— Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) April 21, 2015
@twcuddleston Hi Abby – Delighted that you’ve joined Labour, welcome.
— Ed Miliband (@Ed_Miliband) April 22, 2015
Milifandom vs Cameronettes: Who will come out on top?
Tory enthusiasts for David Cameron haven't been oblivous to the surge in Twitter support for their chief rival and have now set up their own hashtag #Cameronettes. The Tory supporting hashtag hasn't quite taken off on Twitter yet and has elicited scepticism from some Tweeters.
https://twitter.com/ejbrooke/status/590813774132727808
Is Milifandom the new Cleggmania?
No. Twitter storms seem incredibly important to those on Twitter but social media is one of the outlets least likely to engage voters. According to Weber Shandwick's election engagement index, social media came ninth out of 14 mediums that were likely to grab the public's attention.
Cleggmania was sparked by the Lib Dem leader's performance in a TV debate that was then given favourable coverage in the newspapers. But Cleggmania did little to help the Lib Dems on election night, with Clegg's party losing five seats.TV remains dominant and is still the number one way people engage with the General Election.