With the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy going full steam, it comes with downsides. Some tweets or posted statuses on Facebook go bold in critiquing in the ALDUB phenomenon. Some would go as far as calling it a fad or a flash in the pan. Some of the fiercest ALDUB fans then end up reacting in defense of their beloved love team. Soon it escalates into a verbal war and the party is ruined.
The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy got almost everyone active online but are unaware of ALDUB. Some are pissed off. Others are clueless. And the harsh reality of how some fan groups just go extra “territorial” on Twitter seeps through the surface. Then again this is social media. A place where people bask in their anonymity in order to say whatever they refuse to be responsible for. A place where foul language and atrocious behavior get away because there are no suspects with which to flag online. People can flag accounts or usernames. But the person behind those accounts can simply open another account. Or change IP address and do what they do best. To troll.
But what’s even sadder is how some of the ALDUB devotees let the worst of them get over. The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy has become the new hotbed for trolls to provoke fans to act on their worst behavior. They enjoy the kind of mind control they could impose on people that admire a couple that they hate. It then prompted ALDUB fan accounts to remind the rest of the fans why ALDUB existed. Because everyone found common ground in ALDUB.
Some of the worst effects of the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy involved new characters like Mark McMahon. He played the role of Dr. Tan-Ning. While it was mentioned in the ALDUB is for Real episode article that he has lackluster acting skills compared to the people around him. It’s a critique on the acting talent. More like lack of it. Not on the person. Commenting on the performance without having to go personal can go possible. Unfortunately, the way Dr. Tan-Ning was presented as extra touchy and affectionate towards YayaDUB immediately pushed the ALDUB nation into protective nurturing mode. It seems as if they are more affected than Alden himself.
Fanaticism can be blinding. Everyone already knew that. But every human being has 2 brains (rational and emotional). Everyone knew between right and wrong. Between civilized and uncivilized. It just so happened that most still go the reactive route. The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy displayed who are reactive instead of proactive. People read or listen to reply, not to understand. And in this aspect, understanding is still crucial instead of reacting the soonest time you can simply because you want to be the first to comment. Surely, the surge of tweets helped in establishing a new record on Twitter – more than 2 millions tweets as of this writing for the hashtag #ALDUBAgainstALLODDS. But it’s not an excuse to just tweet whatever comes into your mind. It infuses some bad rep into the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy.
For others still clueless as what to tweet, they just retweet. Retweets factor into the trending statistics anyway. Retweeting can be a way for agreeing with other people’s thoughts. Others retweet images or screenshots of official statements that go beyond the 140-character-limit. Others are cautious about what to tweet. They end up tweeting some suggested behaviors when tweeting while using ALDUB-related hashtags. The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy may have occasionally slowed down the internet because so many people are tweeting at the same time. But it gives them time to browse through all of the tweets. Some end up becoming helpful pieces of advice on what to tweet next.
Others have used the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy as an outlet of their creativity. With emotions on “beast mode” (a jargon unique to the ALDUB nation perhaps). Some ended up posting fan art that featured ALDUB. @jaysonDMX has become one of the most featured graphic artists on social media. His ALDUB fan art could rival most teleserye title cards. Others like @WralphEvan capitalized on most fans’ need to rescue YayaDUB. Hence the OPERATION SAGIP-YAYA infographic tweet. It could have been the most badass way for ALDUB to prove his worth to Lola Nidora. Then again, the Eat Bulaga creative department had other plans.
Now, several ALDUB fan accounts on social media have united to announce the hashtag of the day. The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy was so intense. They tweet even on a Sunday now. And true to the culture of positivity promoted among the ALDUB fan groups. The official hashtag last 23 August 2015 was #EBThankYouForALDUB. It was one of the most heartwarming hashtags proliferated. Most viewers are enamored with the ALDUB love story unfolding right before their eyes. And most of them made sure to thank the main driving forces behind the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy. Wally Bayola already received a deluge of tweets praising his performances for the ALDUB Keep The Faith episode and ALDUB Against All Odds episode. Now a hashtag is dedicated to the Eat Bulaga program as a whole.
The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy is far from over. And much of the credit goes to Eat Bulaga indeed. They know how to keep this love story interesting. They manage to pull out all of the stops to keep everyone at the edge of their seats. Some love team manage to amass a following online or on TV. But not all tandems have the broadcast machinery and creative genius found in Eat Bulaga. Until now, conspiracy theorists are still debating whether YayaDUB’s collapsing incident was real or reel. It doesn’t matter. People are still talking about it now. Even when YayaDUB did not pass out when the wedding was pushed through. And with the Philippine National Police getting exposure in the ALDUB Against All Odds episode, it’s on. The ALDUB Social Media Frenzy has officially changed the way people view Philippine entertainment.
Send your thanks to everyone involved in the massive success that is the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy. Follow and tweet YayaDUB (@mainedcm), Alden Richards (@aldenrichards02) and Eat Bulaga (@EatBulaga). Like the official Facebook page of Eat Bulaga to catch the replay of the ALDUB Against All Odds episode.
Interested to analyze Philippine contemporary culture? Feel the pulse of whatever is motivating Filipinos today. More topics to come apart from the ALDUB Social Media Frenzy for your pleasure. In this manner, might as well follow us on our social media accounts. Like our official Facebook page, The Philippines Web. And follow us on Twitter @pinasamazing. Much appreciated.
