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Social media sends support after Fukushima earthquake

Social Cues: Also trending on social media are Thanksgiving and big news for Hollywood.

Alfred Ng Senior Reporter / CNET News
Alfred Ng was a senior reporter for CNET News. He was raised in Brooklyn and previously worked on the New York Daily News's social media and breaking news teams.
Alfred Ng
2 min read
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Fukushima, Japan had suffered a similar earthquake in 2011, devastating its nuclear power plants, like the one shown in this 2013 image.

NOBORU HASHIMOTO/AFP/Getty Images

A devastating earthquake hitting Japan is trending across Facebook and Twitter, as social media users rally in support of the affected region.

The natural disaster is causing tsunami warnings, echoing back to a similar earthquake about five years ago in the same area.

Social Cues fills you in on what's trending across Facebook and Twitter. Here's what people are talking about on Monday:

Fukushima: A magnitude 7.3 earthquake has hit the coastal region in Japan, prompting tsunami warnings. The same area suffered a magnitude 9.1 earthquake in 2011 causing a massive tsunami and a nuclear disaster at its power plant. The 2011 earthquake caused nearly 16,000 deaths and its effects still linger five years later. Facebook was inspired to create its Safety Check tool after the 2011 disaster. Users on Twitter are sending warnings and alerts on the looming impact of the powerful earthquake as news continues to develop.

#TurkeyIn4Words: Before the breaking earthquake news hit feeds, this had been one of the top trends on Twitter. The self-titled challenge received more than 10,500 tweets from users. Most were posts talking about the birds as something we consume, like "a fowl tasting meal." But some turkey fans jumped in the mix too. Here's a fun fact about turkeys from PETA's Twitter account.

#SurvivalGuideToThanksgiving: Going home and seeing your family for a day and enjoying a nice meal isn't as easy as it sounds. There's the dreadful trek filled with boredom, inevitable arguments over trivial topics and getting prepared for Black Friday after stuffing up. Luckily, social media users have your back on those three situations. Biggest Twitter tip to follow though if you want to leave Thanksgiving unscathed: don't talk politics.

"Cars 3": A new teaser trailer for the Pixar film was unveiled on Monday. The 49-second clip shows the family-friendly hero Lightning McQueen suffering a devastating car crash while racing. The trailer then teased, "From this moment, everything will change," hinting at a darker direction for the third movie. Social media was stirring over what this could mean for the Pixar franchise, with more than 130,000 people talking about the clip on Facebook.

Black Panther: Marvel Studios announced on Monday that actress Angela Bassett will play Ramonda, the mother of T'Challa, the Wakandan superhero behind the mask. The film is set for release on February 16, 2018. Fans on Twitter were raving about the casting, believing it'll go "down in history as the best Marvel movie."