Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Written by:​ Jonathan Ng
​DTEM3476 (Dr. M Hockenberry)
Introduction to #tetrischallenge:
Contrary to the term “tetris” being in the hashtag’s text, the # has nothing to do with the
popular block game known as Tetris. Instead, the hashtag focuses on the showcasing of the onboard
equipment that law enforcement, emergency services and the military use on a day to day basis.
The layout of posts that are tagged with the # all follow a simple format (see Figure 1.1): a photo
that is framed from the birds-eye view that allows the viewer to see the equipment and the
personnel that use the materiel.
Figure 1.1: Tweet from the Dutch Army’s Tank Division (posted on Sept 20, 2019)
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
History of the Hashtag:
The first recorded use of the hashtag #tetrischallenge is attributed to a Facebook post by
the Swiss police district in Zurich on September 1st of 2019 (see Figure 1.2). While the post does
not explicitly state the #tetrischallenge, it was the first image to receive international recognition
and other police, military and fire departments followed suit. However, that post was not actually
the first of its kind - in November 2018, the New Zealand Police department posted a photo on
Twitter with the hashtag of #flatlay (see Figure 1.3). Unfortunately the New Zealand Police
department’s post did not gain much traction and was generally forgotten until the rise of the Swiss
Police’s post in September of this year.
Figure 1.2: Facebook Post from the Swiss Police district in Zurich (posted on Sept 1, 2019)
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Figure 1.3: Original Tweet posted by the New Zealand Police (posted on Nov 19, 2018)
Furthermore, due to this hashtag’s only quite recent rise in popularity, it is difficult to
research into it’s past beyond the format, layout and actual hashtag’s usage. The hashtag has not
changed much in terms of it’s usage since conception due to its simplicity. Funnily enough however,
because the hashtag contains the word ‘tetris’ and which refers to the famous game Tetris, some
Twitter users have questioned and even criticized the hastag’s use of the #tetrischallenge due to the
lack of any connection to the Tetris game.
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Users of the Hashtag:
Due to the hashtag’s popularity in presenting law enforcement and emergency services to
the general public without making them seem intimidating or larger than life, other types of
services such as geographers (see Figure 1.4) and weather stations have begun to use the hashtag
to present their own equipment and raise awareness. It’s worth noting that the hashtag has allowed
the general public to get a better sense and view of the equipment that law enforcement, emergency
services and various other professionals use on a day to day basis. It could be argued that this
newfound appreciation of the work that these professionals do is a form of “social activism” by
raising awareness.
Figure 1.4: Tweet posted by @GeoLBertalan (posted on Sept 25, 2019)
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Overall the hashtag’s use has not changed significantly, but there have now been parodies of
the hashtag’s original usage by copying the layout but applying to vastly different contexts such as
the context of a cat’s toys and “equipment” (see Figure 1.5).
Figure 1.5: Tweet posted by @Hosico_cat (posted on September 26, 2019)
Other parodies have included military themed video games presenting in-game equipment
and materiel such as ARMA 3’s advertisement using the hashtag and even LEGO versions of an
Emergency Medical Service equipment which feature LEGO toys being adapted to match the real life
tools used by EMS (see Figure 1.6).
Figure 1.6: Tweet posted by @brick_EMS (posted on September 21, 2019)
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Intersections with other Communities:
While the actual hashtag #tetrischallenge has yet to proliferate and intersect in usage with
posts, tweets or communities that are not directly using the layout or format of the original
#tetrischallenge posts, it is worth noting that the layout and format of the #tetrischallenge - IS NOT
original in on itself. There are actually two major communities that have similar layouts and
formatting as the #tetris challenge primarily because the way that the images are presented in an
organized manner is a copied theme.
The #tetrischallenge shares a commonality with the well-known community of Every Day
Carry or #EDC. In summary is a popular tag wherein users will upload and post photos of the tools,
equipment, and objects that they, as an individual, carry every day. #EDC has steadily gained
popularity in the concealed weapon community and other types of professionals who want to
showcase their everyday tools and equipment (see Figure 1.7).
Figure 1.7: Tweet posted by @everydaycarry (posted on Sept 29, 2019)
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
The prominent difference between #EDC and #tetrischallenge is the fact that the Every Day
Carry community focuses on what an individual will carry or utilize on a daily basis while the
#tetrischallenge places an emphasis on what a group of professionals or an organization might use
while on the job.
On the other hand, the second intersecting community would be Military Aviation or more
precisely the way that military photographers present warplanes and their loadouts. For almost
two centuries now, warplanes have slowly increased weapon inventories and overall armament
which must be displayed to military leaders, investors and even the public in some way. In order to
showcase the armament, photographers requested that the weapons be displayed in an organized
fashion around the warplane itself which results in the familiar image format that we see in the
#tetrischallenge (see Figure 1.8).
Figure 1.8: Memphis Belle IV (photographed by: K. Schultz)
The crossover between #tetrischallenge and military aviation photography is best
summarized by renowned military aviation author Tyler Rogoway in his recent article “National
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Security Twitter is Going Nuts for these Awesome Tetris Challenge Memes” in which he states,
“​military aviation units would display their aircraft with their complete stores menu laid out in
front of them in a Tetris-like arrangement. So adapting that same practice to the Tetris Challenge is
a no-brainer. ” (Rogoway)
The only difference between Military Aviation’s version of the #tetrischallenge is that they
exclude the crew or the persons wielding the equipment which to a certain extent reduces the
ability for the general public to relate to the photographs because the human element is lost. Once
again, Tyler Rogoway summarizes the potential of #tetrischallenge best in one sentence, “The best
part about this viral phenomenon is that it is actually really interesting and even educational.”
In conclusion​, despite the recent conception and new-found popularity of the
#tetrischallenge, the hashtag has not only become a source of raising awareness but it has also
spawned parodies of itself which provide companies and other users to promote themselves or
their identities. Moreover, the intersections with two other popular communities shows that the
hashtag #tetrischallenge has the capability to connect and overlap with other ‘realms’ while
maintaining a niche characteristic that sets it apart and remains popular.
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Hashtag Ethnography: #tetrischallenge
Sources:
Google Trends. "Tetrischallenge." ​Google Trends​. N.p., 29 Sept. 2019. Web. 29 Sept. 2019.
Gorman, Alyx. "Tetris Challenge: Emergency Services Worldwide Go Flat-out in Viral Meme |
Technology | The Guardian." ​The Guardian.​ N.p., 18 Sept. 2019. Web. 28 Sept. 2019.
Horton, Alex. "These aren’t photos of toys — they’re real service members posing with real gear."
The
Washington
Post​.
N.p.,
28
Sept.
2019.
Web.
29
Sept.
2019.
<​https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2019/09/28/these-arent-photos-to
ys-theyre-real-soldiers-posing-with-real-jets-guns/​>.
Kantonspolizei Zürich - Kapo ZH. "Wenn Sie Schon Immer Einmal Wissen... - Kantonspolizei Zürich Kapo ZH | Facebook." ​Facebook.​ N.p., 1 Sept. 2019. Web. 28 Sept. 2019.
Morgan, James. "America's Iconic War Machine." ​BBC News​. N.p., 10 Dec. 2015. Web. 29 Sept. 2019.
New Zealand Police. "Twitter - @nzpolice." ​Twitter.com.​ N.p., 19 Nov. 2018. Web. 29 Sept. 2019.
Rogoway, Tyler. "National Security Twitter Is Going Nuts For These Awesome "Tetris Challenge"
Memes." ​The Drive​. N.p., 28 Sept. 2019. Web. 29 Sept. 2019.
Schultz K. "The Memphis Belle IV." Digital Photograph. ​BBC News​. BBC News, 2015. Web. 29 Sept.
2019. <https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33766644>.
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