About
David Cameron’s Phone Call refers to a photograph of the British prime minister David Cameron on the phone with U.S. President Barack Obama which became the subject of a parody photo fad on Twitter in March 2014.
Origin
On March 5th, 2014, 3:18 PM (ET), a photograph of British prime minister David Cameron discussing the 2014 Crimean Crisis on the phone with President Obama was tweeted via Cameron’s official Twitter account.[6]
I’ve been speaking to
BarackObama about the situation in Ukraine. We are united in condemnation of Russia's actions. pic.twitter.com/7Rk2k8iOIK</p>— David Cameron (David_Cameron) April 9, 2014
Over the course of the month, the photo has been retweeted over 9,000 times and received over 4,000 favorites.
Spread
The same day at 4:48 PM (ET), Twitter user richrich808[7] tweeted a picture of himself on the phone using the hashtag #davecalls[8] with the caption “Just paid my water bill,” mocking the implied brag of Cameron’s caption “I’ve been speaking to @BarackObama about the situation in Ukraine.”
Glinner Just paid my water bill #davecalls pic.twitter.com/CpyLw7Y2wB</p>— Tony Abbott (richrich808) March 5, 2014
Soon, numerous celebrities including Rob Delaney[9] and Patrick Stewart[10] joined in on the meme via Twitter.
.
David_Cameron @BarackObama Hi guys, I'm on the line now too. Get me up to speed. pic.twitter.com/xhmJG5KpxT</p>— Rob Delaney (robdelaney) March 5, 2014
.
robdelaney @David_Cameron @BarackObama I'm now patched in as well. Sorry for the delay. pic.twitter.com/elLQcKcV3w</p>— Patrick Stewart (SirPatStew) March 5, 2014
Also on March 5th, The Mirror[11] and Buzzfeed[12] reported on the meme with some of the best examples.
Notable Examples
Australian PM Tony Abbott’s Phone Call
On April 9th, 2014 5:01 AM EST, Australian prime minister Tony Abbott’s official Twitter account posted a photo of him getting an update on the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 .[1] Within 24 hours, the photo had gained over 120 favorites and over 180 retweets.
Just got an update on the search for #MH370 from JACC Chief Coordinator Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston (Ret’d) pic.twitter.com/Gnmq5zSmgg
— Tony Abbott (@TonyAbbottMHR) April 9, 2014
Shortly after Abbott’s photo was tweeted out, Australian Twitter users began tweeting their own photos at Abbott pretending to be the person on the other end of the phone. At 5:30 AM (ET), Twitter user Slipperyseal[2] tweeted a photo of himself holding an electric toothbrush to his ear as if he were speaking on the phone with Abbott.
I’m here now. Sorry for the delay “@TonyAbbottMHR: Just got an update on the search for #MH370 pic.twitter.com/VLGBLxXUah pic.twitter.com/J19LMGMg5z
— slipperyseal(@slipperyseal) April 9, 2014
Some participants substituted the phone with an alternate household item, such as a banana, a bottle and a video game controller.
On April 10th, several websites reported on the meme and compared it the one sparked by Cameron including Buzzfeed[3], The Huffington Post UK[4], and The Independent.[5]
Search Interest
External References
[1]Twitter – The Simpsons Parody Game of Thrones
[2]Twitter – slipperyseal
[3]Buzzfeed – Tony Abbott Was Just Asking To Become A Meme When He Posted This Picture
[4]The Huffington Post UK – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott Copies David Cameron, Tweets Serious ‘On The Phone’ Photo
[5]The Independant – Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott mocked for tweeting picture of himself on the phone
[6]Twitter – David Cameron
[7]Twitter – richrich808
[8]Topsy – #davecalls
[9]Twitter – robdelaney
[10]Twitter – SirPatStew
[11]Mirror – David Cameron and Barack Obama’s Ukraine crisis phone call – according to Twitter
[12]Buzzfeed – David Cameron Posted A Picture Of Himself On The Phone And Spawned A Meme