Junlper Explained

Junlper should not be confused with Juniper.

JUNlPER
Birth Date:1 November 1995
Years Active:2019–present
Known For:Twitter shitposting

Junlper (stylized as JUNlPER; born November 1, 1995[1]) is an American shitposter on Twitter. She is known for posting satirical screenshots of fabricated news stories and is credited with popularizing the term "goblin mode" and creating a viral fake headline about the "dick vein" being removed from Snickers candy bars.

In October 2023, after satirically suggesting that the site's owner Elon Musk was a pedophile to protest a Twitter policy that removed headlines from posted articles, Junlper's multiple accounts were suspended. Junlper currently posts from the account @CantEverDie.

Twitter activity

Junlper originally created her Twitter account in early 2019 in order to support the 2020 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders, but later pivoted towards mocking people she considered her political enemies.[2] Her original account's profile falsely claimed that she was a reporter for The New York Times.

Popularizing "goblin mode"

See main article: ''Goblin mode''.

In February 2022, Junlper made a tweet featuring an edited Fox News headline of an interview with the American actress Julia Fox, purporting her to have used the phrase "goblin mode".[3] The image prompted a large increase in online searches for 'goblin mode', and led Fox to respond, saying, "Just for the record. I have never used the term 'goblin mode".

In June 2022, the term was defined by Dictionary.com as "a slang term for a way of behaving that intentionally and shamelessly gives in to and indulges in base habits and activities without regard for adhering to social norms or expectations".[4] In December 2022, online respondents selected the term from Oxford Languages' shortlist, which also included metaverse and #IStandWith, as the Word of the Year.[5] [6] The Oxford University Press attributed the spike in the phrase's popularity to Junlper's tweet.[7]

Snickers "dick vein"

In April 2022, Junlper satirically claimed in a tweet that Snickers was removing the "dick vein" design from the top of the candy bar, prompting a backlash from unwitting Snickers fans. Due to the volume of response, Snickers clarified in its own viral tweet that the "veins remain".[8] [9] The tweet spawned follow-up hoaxes including a viral fake image of Tucker Carlson talking about the "dick veins" on his Fox News show, alluding to Carlson's comments about "unsexy" M&M's characters earlier that year.[10]

Other tweets

In response to a December 2022 Elon Musk joke that his preferred gender pronouns were "Prosecute/Fauci", Junlper responded that "we didn't ask for your woke pronouns",[11] alluding to Musk's views on transgender issues.

In February 2023, Junlper said that controversy regarding the 2023 Hogwarts Legacy video game was manufactured in terms of 'TERFs' pointing out the games' success despite boycotts. She also said that despite saying that people should feel free to buy it, they should not attempt to get "good ally points" for disliking J. K. Rowling.[12] [13] Later, in June of that year, Junlper criticized U.S. states that prohibit medical gender transitioning for adults.[14]

In March 2023, when the YouTuber MrBeast suggested that his fans should disarrange Hershey's chocolate bars displays in stores, Junlper wrote that it was proof that he is "demonic".[15] Later that month, she fabricated an image of a Walmart website page for a "product zoner", to which he responded, "I'm all for dunking on me, but no need to spread lies."[16]

In June 2023, when MrBeast said that he was invited on the Titan before the Titan submersible implosion, she accused him of lying, as his text was blue (meaning the text was sent, not received). He responded by saying that it was a screenshot he took of his friend's text.[17] [18]

Junlper satirically replied to a video showing a body bag being removed from the White House that went viral in July 2023, saying that the body was U.S. President Joe Biden. Snopes later fact-checked this as false.[19]

In January 2024, Junlper put coins and estrogen pills into the Chicago rat hole.[20]

Suspension from Twitter

On October 6, 2023, Junlper was suspended from Twitter.[21] The previous day, an update to Twitter had removed headlines from posts which link to news articles.[22] In response, Junlper exploited this to make a satirical tweet in which she claimed that "growing evidence [suggested] that" Musk was a pedophile. Junlper and her secondary account were terminated hours later, for which no official reason was given. She was briefly unbanned.[23] [24] For a short time, Junlper used the account @junegoblinmode but was again suspended on October 7. On October 8, she created the account @JUNlPERBOT,[25] which was subsequently suspended.[26] In November, she created the account @CantEverDie, which has not been suspended.[27]

The move to ban Junlper was condemned by journalists Erin Reed and Ben Collins, as well as civil rights attorney Alejandra Caraballo. The move was supported by Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok.[28] Mike Masnick of Techdirt contrasted the suspension with Musk's previous claims of being a "free speech absolutist".[29] The Messenger described the incident as Musk banning "a popular poster who skewered him".[23] The Advocate framed the incident as Musk and Chaya Raichik teaming up on Junlper.[28] NBC News listed Junlper as an example of suspended leftist accounts under Musk.[21]

A 2024 commentary article in the Postdigital Science and Education journal characterized Junlper's post as an example of weaponized multimodality in service of protesting site governance.[30]

Personal life

Junlper is a food inspector for the state of Wisconsin. She is a transgender woman[31] and co-hosts the internet culture podcast Western Kabuki.[13] She has been described as a leftist and identifies as a Marxist.[8]

References

  1. JUNlPERBOT . 1719714533420212367 . turned 28 today. let's get this fuckin party started!.
  2. News: Weekman . Kelsey . December 29, 2022 . We Spoke To Twitter Troll Juniper About Manufacturing Moral Panics, Creating 'Goblin Mode', And Dealing With Elon Musk . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006234935/https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/kelseyweekman/juniper-twitter-troll-meme-interview . October 6, 2023 . October 6, 2023 . BuzzFeed News.
  3. News: Dodgson . Lindsay . February 24, 2022 . The person behind a fake Julia Fox headline about "goblin mode" says they did her a favor by distracting from her breakup with Ye . September 14, 2022 . . October 8, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231008051138/https://www.insider.com/goblin-mode-julia-fake-headline-creator-2022-2 . live .
  4. Web site: Check Yourself, Have You Fallen Prey To "Goblin Mode"? . September 14, 2022 . . June 7, 2022 . September 14, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220914052724/https://www.dictionary.com/e/slang/goblin-mode/ . live .
  5. News: Schuessler . Jennifer . December 4, 2022 . The Word of the Year Goes Goblin Mode . . December 5, 2022 . 0362-4331 . December 4, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221204235343/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/04/arts/goblin-mode-oxford-word.html . live .
  6. News: Bellware . Kim . December 6, 2022 . What is 'goblin mode', anyway? It's Oxford's 2022 Word of the Year. . registration . . December 6, 2022 . 0190-8286 . December 6, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221206121738/https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/12/06/goblin-mode-meaning-oxford/ . live .
  7. Web site: Oxford Word of the Year 2022. November 16, 2023. November 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221121132621/https://languages.oup.com/word-of-the-year/2022/. live.
  8. Meet the Shitposter Who Started a Right-Wing Moral Panic About the Snickers Dick Vein. Dickson. EJ. Rolling Stone. After her tweet went viral – as well as a follow-up photo of an apparently veinless Snickers bar, which she says she pulled from an old Reddit post – many on Twitter believed it to be true, to the degree that Snickers itself had to post a tweet reassuring fans that the vein wasn't going anywhere.. April 27, 2022. May 3, 2022. July 3, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220703163318/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/snickers-dick-vein-dont-let-this-flop-podcast-1343163/. live.
  9. Web site: Good news, contrary to what's trending on Twitter... THE VEINS REMAIN!. @SNICKERS. April 19, 2022. May 4, 2022. August 19, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220819001755/https://twitter.com/SNICKERS/status/1516463576143257603. live.
  10. Web site: Ciara . O'Rourke . No, this isn't a real Fox News chyron about Snickers . May 16, 2023 . . April 26, 2022 . en-US . May 16, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230516163113/https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2022/apr/26/viral-image/no-isnt-real-fox-news-chyron-about-snickers/ . live .
  11. Web site: Khemeani . Purvi . December 13, 2022 . 'Didn't Ask for Your Woke Pronouns': Twitter User Schools Elon Musk After 'Fauci' Tweet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240112204621/https://www.news18.com/buzz/didnt-ask-for-your-woke-pronouns-twitter-user-schools-elon-musk-after-fauci-tweet-6608785.html . January 12, 2024 . 12 January 2024 . news18.com . News 18.
  12. Web site: Jennings . Rebecca . February 15, 2023 . How the Harry Potter video game became an ethical minefield . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021024409/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23599799/hogwarts-legacy-review-rowling-trans . October 21, 2023 . October 19, 2023 . Vox.
  13. Knee . Miles . February 10, 2023 . 'Hogwarts Legacy' Is the Biggest Game on Twitch – But It's Facing Culture War Fallout . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021024405/https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/hogwarts-legacy-game-jk-rowling-transphobia-1234676730/ . October 21, 2023 . October 19, 2023 . Rolling Stone.
  14. Web site: Valens . Ana . June 7, 2023 . The Right Wants To Stop Trans Adults From Transitioning, Because Kids Weren't Enough . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021024408/https://www.themarysue.com/the-right-wants-to-stop-trans-adults-from-transitioning-because-kids-werent-enough/ . October 21, 2023 . October 19, 2023 . The Mary Sue.
  15. Web site: Harrison . Christian . March 6, 2023 . MrBeast under fire after fans mess with Feastables competitors at supermarkets across U.S. . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006234938/https://dotesports.com/streaming/news/mrbeast-under-fire-after-fans-mess-with-feastables-competitors-at-supermarkets-across-u-s . October 6, 2023 . October 6, 2023 . dotesports.com . Dot Esports.
  16. Web site: Menon . Aravind . March 8, 2023 . No Need to Spread Lies: MrBeast Addresses the 'Job' Advert Which Has Confused the Internet . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021031413/https://www.essentiallysports.com/esports-news-no-need-to-spread-lies-mrbeast-addresses-the-job-advert-which-has-confused-the-internet/ . October 21, 2023 . October 20, 2023 . EssentiallySports.
  17. News: Plunkett . Luke . June 25, 2023 . YouTube Star Mr. Beast Says He Was 'Invited' On The Titanic Submarine . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006234956/https://kotaku.com/youtube-mr-beast-titan-titanic-submarine-disaster-1850575265 . October 6, 2023 . October 6, 2023 . Kotaku.
  18. News: Del Rosario . Alexandra . June 26, 2023 . MrBeast claims he was invited to join that Titan voyage. Why some fans aren't buying it . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006234934/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-06-26/mrbeast-decline-titan-submersible-invitation-youtube . October 6, 2023 . October 6, 2023 . Los Angeles Times.
  19. Web site: Ibrahim . Nur . July 3, 2023 . No, This Video Doesn't Show Biden's Body Being Wheeled Out of the White House . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20231021024409/https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/joe-biden-body-bag/ . October 21, 2023 . October 19, 2023 . Snopes.
  20. Web site: Chicago's 'Rat Hole' Emerges As The Newest Tourist Attraction . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240119022830/https://www.outlookindia.com/international/us/chicago-s-rat-hole-emerges-as-the-newest-tourist-attraction-news-343708 . January 19, 2024 . 19 January 2024 . outlookindia.com . Outlook India.
  21. Web site: Tenbarge . Kat . X's fresh temporary ban of several prominent journalists raises alarm . nbcnews.com . January 10, 2024 . NBC News . 11 January 2024 . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111004017/https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/x-temporary-ban-journalist-accounts-raises-alarm-rcna133084 . live .
  22. News: Sands . Leo . October 5, 2023 . Elon Musk strips news headlines from X, posing challenge for media outlets . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010073353/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2023/10/05/twitter-x-news-headlines-removed/ . 10 October 2023 . . 6 October 2023 . subscription.
  23. Web site: Rogers . Zachary . Elon Musk Bans Popular Poster Who Skewered Him For Eliminating Headlines on X . October 7, 2023 . . 9 October 2023 . October 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010020600/https://themessenger.com/tech/elon-musk-bans-popular-poster-who-skewered-him-for-eliminating-headlines-on-x . dead .
  24. News: Hurler . Kevin . October 6, 2023 . 12 Times Elon Musk's Headline Decapitation Hilariously Backfired on Him . . 6 October 2023 . October 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010095434/https://gizmodo.com/twitter-x-musk-headline-removal-backfired-on-him-1850906283 . live .
  25. Web site: was not planning on launching the JUNLPER BOT until later this week but it was a good time as andy ngo decided to dox me, figured it was a good time to launch it and address him, but yes it is official . bsky.app . October 9, 2023 . Junlper . 11 January 2024 . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005621/https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.bsky.social/post/3kbc2fvge2m2y . live .
  26. Web site: @JUNlPERBOT . twitter.com . 11 January 2024 . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111005621/https://twitter.com/JUNlPERBOT . live .
  27. Web site: i haven't officially announced it here but my current twitter account is @canteverdie if anyone here still uses twitter too . bsky.app . January 19, 2024 . Junlper . 19 January 2024 . January 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240119022344/https://bsky.app/profile/junlper.bsky.social/post/3kjcczpyh5s26 . live .
  28. News: Wiggins . Christopher . Elon Musk and Libs of TikTok Team Up on Transgender Activist . . October 7, 2023 . en . October 9, 2023 . October 10, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231010013856/https://www.advocate.com/news/elon-musk-alejandra-caraballo-raichik . live .
  29. Web site: Masnick . Mike . Elon Musk Decides 'Who Needs Headlines, When We Can Just Have Pretty Pictures?'; Suspends Account That Made Fun Of Him . . October 6, 2023 . 12 October 2023 . October 12, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231012000957/https://www.techdirt.com/2023/10/06/elon-musk-decides-who-needs-headlines-when-we-can-just-have-pretty-pictures-suspends-account-that-made-fun-of-him/ . live .
  30. Hagh . Anita . July 3, 2024 . Critical Postdigital Literacies as Resistance Against Platform Governance on Twitter . Postdigital Science and Education . 6 . 3 . 8–10 . 10.1007/s42438-024-00495-z . Springer Nature.
  31. News: Jennings . Rebecca . June 28, 2023 . Welcome to the era of the trans it-girl . 6 October 2023 . . October 6, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231006234935/https://www.vox.com/culture/23775516/antoni-bumba-blizzy-mcguire-uniekue-selyna-brillare-junlper-kay-poyer-trans-it-girls . live .