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Friday, 2 January 2015

Top ten trending hashtags of the year 2014

Top ten trending hashtags (*) of the year 2014
(Level: upper-intermediate to advanced / B2 to C1 / ***)



Examples of popular hashtags
Picture credit: www.communiquepr.com


(*) A hashtag is a word, a group of words or a phrase with no spaces preceded by the symbol # within a short message or tweet. It helps identify a topic of interest. 
hashtag = mot-dièse (France); mot-clic (Quebec)


More and more people resort to social platforms to make sure they can express their views and feelings about specific trending subjects and get heard. By using the hashtags originally generated by Twitter and widespread by social networking sites, their users find out more information about specific topics they are interested in, which also enables them to get connected and to become a part of a larger discussion. 


Before watching:


You are going to watch a CNN report focusing on the top ten hashtags of the year 2014.

The following words and notes could be useful:
to be trending: to be currently popular           faire fureur (sur les réseaux sociaux)
to go viral: to become very popular by circulating very quickly especially through the internet and social networking sites           se propager   (comme un virus)
a tan suit: a light-brown or beige suit      costume brun clair / beige 


Barack Obama's tan suit
Photo credit: www.time.com


Labor Day: a national holiday in the USA (originally led in 1882 by a workers' union to create a holiday for workers) taking place on the first Monday of September. It is associated with the end of the summer period and is therefore a time to put away one's summer clothes or summer white clothes. White stands for the colour worn for sports and leisure and is clearly considered inappropriate after Labor Day.

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) is an islamist terror group based in Iraq and Syria held responsible for human rights abuses and war crimes (ethnic cleansing and executions of Western hostages)...

Ray Rice: NFL (National Football League) football player. He was seen punching his then fiancée in a lift. As soon as that video was released, he was suspended indefinitely from the NFL. After an appeal that he won in November 2014, he was reinstated in the NFL.

Beverley Gooden: a social activist who initiated the Twitter hashtag #WhyIStayed. She was herself a victim of domestic violence and wanted to outline why people would choose to stay, even in an abusive relationship.

Boko Haram: an islamist terror group based in Nigeria and held responsible for mass murders and abducting women and children - among them the 276 schoolgirls who were kidnapped in April 2014.

ALS = Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis; a neurodegenerative disease which can lead to the weakening of the muscles, eventually causing difficulties in swallowing and breathing.       Sclérose Latérale Amyotrophique (SLA)

Zuckerberg taking part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge
Photo credit: www.techtimes.com


a killing spree: a killing rampage / an outburst of violence associated with a number of murders in a very short span of time        folie meurtrière     
to indict:  to decide that somebody should be put on trial     inculper    
in the wake of: following       dans la foulée de 


Women in Ferguson holding signs for M. Brown
Photo credit: www.popularresistance.org


Ferguson, Missouri, USA
Map credit: www.9news.ph




While watching:


What do the following hashtags refer to? 
Make notes in French.



10
#alexfromtarget

9
#tansuit

8
#yesallwomen

7
#umbrellarevolution

6
#whyistayed

5
#worldcup

4
#bringbackourgirls

3
#icebucketchallenge

2
#IAMMIKEBROWN

1
#alllivesmatter








You can also find the video on the CNN site by clicking HERE





When you are finished, you can check your answers:
Suggestions de réponses


10
#alexfromtarget
Alex a fait fureur sur les réseaux sociaux à partir d’une simple photo que quelqu’un a prise de lui et postée sur Twitter.  Personne (pas même Alex) ne comprend pourquoi autant de succès…  (1)  
9
#tansuit
Le costume beige de Barack Obama a fait sensation sur les réseaux sociaux ! Tout le monde n’a retenu que ça alors que le Président évoquait, lors de cette conférence de presse, des sujets brûlants tels qu’ISIS ou la Russie.
8
#yesallwomen
Mouvement féministe selon lequel toutes les femmes peuvent se considérer comme étant des victimes de harcèlement et de discrimination et suscité par la folie meurtrière d’Elliot Rodger (dû selon ce dernier au rejet dont il aurait toujours fait l’objet de la part des femmes ). (2)
7
#umbrellarevolution
La Révolution des Parapluies durant plus de deux mois et demi à Hong Kong. Mot-dièse se référant donc au mouvement orchestrés par les militants pro-démocrates qui, « armés » de leurs parapluies, essayaient de se protéger des gaz lacrymogènes et gaz au poivre utilisés par les forces de l’ordre. (3)
6
#whyistayed
Mouvement initié sur la Toile après la publication d’une vidéo montrant la star de football Ray Rice assommant sa fiancée de l’époque à coups de poing dans un ascenseur. (4)
5
#worldcup
La Coupe du Monde de football 2014 aura généré 3 milliards d’échanges sur Facebook et durant le match de la finale Allemagne-Argentine, les téléspectateurs auront posté plus de 618.000 tweets à la minute
4
#bringbackourgirls
En référence aux jeunes filles enlevées par le groupe Boko Haram et au manque d’actions concrètes prises par les autorités pour tenter de les retrouver…  (5)
3
#icebucketchallenge
Le défi du seau d’eau glacée qu’on se renverse sur la tête qui aura permis de récolter plus de 100 millions de dollars aux Etats-Unis durant l’été au profit de la recherche contre la SLA   (6)
2
#IAMMIKEBROWN
En référence à l’affaire Mike Brown, jeune Noir non-armé et abattu par un policier blanc à Ferguson et à la décision du grand jury de ne pas inculper le responsable…  (7)
1
#alllivesmatter
Point de départ : le grand jury de New York décide de ne pas inculper le policier impliqué dans la mort d’un Noir, Eric Gardner. Cette affaire combinée à celle de Ferguson a donné lieu au mouvement #blacklivesmatter. La mort de deux policiers de New York, froidement abattus par un Noir (Note : voulant apparemment « venger » Mike Brown et Eric Gardner) a donné lieu au mouvement #alllivesmatter.  (8)


(1) For more details, here is an article "Alex From Target: The Other Side of fame" in the New York times.  Click HERE

(2) For more details, read this article: "Deadly California rampage: chilling video but no match for reality" on the CNN website. Click HERE

(3) For more details, you can read this article by the Guardian: "How the umbrella became a symbol of the Hong Kong democracy protests". Click HERE

(4) For more details, here is a CNN account entitled "Ray Rice doesn't deserve second chance". Click HERE

(5) Here is an article entitled "Nigeria's Boko Haram seizes hometown of kidnapped girls" by the Guardian focusing on Boko Haram and the latest developments in Nigeria. Click HERE

(6) For more details about the Ice Bucket Challenge, here is an article entitled "Why Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates took up the Ice Bucket Challenge". Click HERE

You can also consult the ALS association's official site: click HERE

(7) For more details about the Brown case, here is a BBC article entitled "Ferguson protests: what we know about Michael Brown's last minutes".  
Click HERE

(8) For more details check this article by the Telegraph entitled "Two NY police officers shot in Brooklyn ambush". Click HERE


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