After Wendy’s up and changed the Twitter game for corporate brands by shaming trolls into retirement and calling out its competition, social media directors are loosening their ties, cracking their knuckles, and ruthlessly pursuing the specter of virality. Of course, one can’t simply go viral; more often than not, virality is thrust upon you. Such was the case with Square—that mobile payment app—whose social media team was simply going about its day when destiny reared its head as a Twitter account called Fart Sandwich.
go away
— Fart Sandwich (@SandwichofFarts) July 15, 2017
Square was engaging with a separate user when Fart Sandwich barreled into its mentions to make their presence known. Square keeps its responses playful, but Fart Sandwich wasn’t interested in keeping things civil.
Is “make a financial corporation look hip and trendy” what you thought you’d be doing with your college degree
— Fart Sandwich (@SandwichofFarts) July 15, 2017
You’re an actual person trying to make a major company look cute and fuzzy. How is a person named fart sandwich the sane one here
— Fart Sandwich (@SandwichofFarts) July 15, 2017
Now, you might have noticed that Fart Sandwich’s Twitter handle doesn’t reflect his nom de plume (his is the inferior @SandwichofFarts). So, as one might imagine, the original @FartSandwich (who is, incidentally, an A.V. Club contributor) wasn’t happy about the sullying of his good name.
Really, though, let’s just all view this as yet another example that tweeting vitriol at national brands on social media is a pointless endeavor that will almost inevitably end with you being owned, if only for the reason that they’ll always, always have more followers than you.