Twitter goes insane, becomes the default back-channel to HackGate, Smithers trends

I’m sitting watching a live feed of the UK Parliamentary hearing into the into the News International phone hacking furore featuring Rupert Murdoch, James Murdoch and, soon, Rebekah Brooks.

But right now it’s Twitter which is running into over-drive. UK users ave jumped onto Twitter since the super-injunction scandals, and are clearly now using it in earnest.

Top Trends on Twitter right now include:

Murdoch Snr – In reference to Rupert Murdoch’s halting performance in front of the committee.

Smithers – In reference to The S’mpsons characters Mr Burns and Smithers, whom the crowd are likening to James and Rupert Murdoch.

Ernest Saunders – This is probably a joke about Murdoch Snr’s very slow perfromance in front of the committee. Saunders was a former British business manager, best known as one of the “Guinness Four”, a group of businessmen who attempted to fraudulently manipulate the share price of the Guinness company. He was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment, but released after 10 months as he was suffering with apparent Alzheimer’s Disease. He later recovered, going against the medical history covering Alzheimer’s.