#FreeSamAndColby

Overview

#FreeSamAndColby is a hashtag spawned by the arrest of YouTube duo Samuel Golbach and Cole Brock after the pair were caught trespassing on a construction site in Tampa, Florida in mid-January 2019. Brock faced two additional charges of unauthorized use or possession of a drivers license. Both Golbach and Brock were released on bail the next day.

Background

In Summer 2014, Sam and Colby became famous for their "Following Fat People" vines. Both Vines were uploaded to YouTube and have gained over 400,000 views in a year (shown below).

On October 28th, 2014, Sam and Colby joined YouTube. On November 13th, 2014, Sam and Colby uploaded their first video introducing themselves (shown below, left). The video accumulated over 150,000 views in 5 years. On May 20th, 2018, the duo uploaded their most popular video to date which has gained over six million views in seven months (shown below, right). The video follows Sam and Colby on a ghost hunt.

As of January 18th, 2019, Colby and Sam have over two million subscribers. The pair gained much online notoriety for posting videos of themselves trespassing and exploring various locations (shown below).

Developments

On January 17th, 2019 Sam tweeted that he was safe. The tweet gained 3,433 replies, 4,983 retweets and 31,539 likes within a day (shown below).

Later that day, Colby also took to Twitter to reassure his fans. The tweet accumulated 4,721 replies, 5,786 retweets and 39,685 likes in one day (shown below).

Online Reaction

On January 16th, 2019, Twitter users used the hashtag #FreeSamandColby to voice their support for Sam and Colby and/or discuss their arrest. Twitter user SendItSire posted that the incident was no surprise. The tweet received over 1,000 likes and 100 retweets within a day (shown below).

On January 17th, Neuroalien's tweet, pointing out Colby's Justin Bieber shirt, gained 245 retweets and 1,086 Likes (shown below, left). On the same day, FansNeverSleep posted a feel old yet tweet about the pair and posted their mugshots (shown below, right).

Search Interest

External References