TRUMP WHITE HOUSE JUMPS ON THE LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA TREND, WHY?

TRUMP WHITE HOUSE JUMPS ON THE LATEST SOCIAL MEDIA TREND, WHY?

Over the last week the internet, specifically social media sites like Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have been debating whether or not an audio clip makes out the word "Laurel," or "Yanny."  About half of the people who have listened to the clip have heard "Yanny" while the other half has heard "Laurel." The ongoing debate has been popularly compared to the viral image of "the dress," another social media phenomena where people couldn't decide whether the dress in an image was black and blue or white and gold.  the "Laurel" vs. "Yanny," debate is also similar to the dress debate as they are both seemingly meaningless fun debates for people to entertain themselves over social media.

You can determine which one you hear if you listen to the attached link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X_WvGAhMlQ

However towards the end of the week the Trump White House hopped on the trend, posting a video to Twitter of key figures within the administration watching the video and telling the camera what they heard, and like any output from the White House the video has stirred up a lot of controversy.  Many have said that the video is humorous and say that its comedy appeals to the masses, while others argue that the White House is avoiding important issues and wasting time with videos like this.

Admittedly I couldn't help but let out a somewhat uneasy chuckle when White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said, " Clearly you're getting your information from CNN because that's fake news," she said. "All I hear is Yanny." Or when President Trump responded with his notoriously misspelled word on Twitter, "covfefe."

Though the White House was trying to be silly or even appeal to youth I do not think that jokingly referencing issues such as the fake news controversy and other major political problems can be solved with Ivanka Trump, the President's daughter telling us whether or not she hears "Laurel" or "Yanny." In the end this video made me uneasy and reminded me of the people running our government.

Check out the video in the link below.

https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/997255568782852096