The Most Hilarious Social Media Fails You Forgot About

Let’s face it—social media is a minefield. One minute you’re posting a selfie with your dog, the next you’re accidentally tagging your boss in a meme about quitting your job. Over the years, the internet has seen some truly unforgettable (and totally cringe-worthy) social media fails. Whether it’s celebrities fumbling with sponsored posts or brands going rogue with scheduled tweets, here are some of the funniest social media missteps that you probably forgot happened—but totally shouldn’t have.

1. #SponsoredFail: Scott Disick’s Copy-Paste Mishap

When it comes to influencer fails, Scott Disick might take the crown. Back in 2016, he posted a sponsored Instagram for Bootea protein shake—but forgot to delete the instructions in the caption. The post read:

“@booteauk 4pm est write the below: Keeping up with the summer workout routine…”

Nothing screams authenticity like copying the brand’s instructions word-for-word.

2. American Red Cross Gets #Slizzard

One of the more innocent—and strangely wholesome—fails came from the American Red Cross Twitter account in 2011. A social media manager accidentally posted from the official account instead of their personal one:

“Ryan found two more 4 bottle packs of Dogfish Head's Midas Touch beer....when we drink we do it right #gettingslizzard.”

Luckily, Red Cross handled it with humor, tweeting:

“We’ve deleted the rogue tweet but rest assured the Red Cross is sober and we’ve confiscated the keys.”

Well played.

3. The #WhyIStayed Hashtag Misfire

DiGiorno Pizza once jumped on a trending hashtag—without checking what it was about. In 2014, they tweeted:

“#WhyIStayed You had pizza.”

Unfortunately, the hashtag was being used by survivors of domestic violence to share their stories. The tweet was deleted within minutes, but the damage was done. They quickly issued an apology and learned a hard lesson: Always check the context.

4. Rita Ora’s Empty Promise

In 2014, Rita Ora tweeted:

“Dropping my new song Monday if this gets 100,000 retweets.”

When it didn’t get close, the tweet mysteriously vanished. She later claimed she was hacked, but the internet already had receipts—and memes. Many took it as a reminder to never make promises you can’t tweet your way out of.

5. Blackberry Tweets… From an iPhone

This one still makes marketers wince. Blackberry’s official Twitter account once posted a promotional tweet saying:

“Keep up with the conversation on @BlackBerry. Our keyboard makes us better.”

But at the bottom, it clearly showed: “Twitter for iPhone.” Oof. The post was quickly deleted, but screenshots live forever.

6. #McDStories Backfires Hard

In 2012, McDonald's launched the hashtag #McDStories, hoping people would share heartwarming experiences. Instead, the internet turned it into a roast-fest about customer service nightmares and suspiciously soggy fries. The brand pulled the campaign within hours.

Lesson learned: Don’t ask the internet for stories unless you're ready to hear all of them.

7. Microsoft Wishes Dead Celebrities Happy Birthday

Automated scheduling is a blessing and a curse. Microsoft once posted birthday wishes to famous people—including Kurt Cobain. Fans were quick to point out the awkwardness of tweeting “Happy Birthday!” to someone who had passed away years ago. A quick apology followed, but not before people shared screenshots with a hefty side of sarcasm.

Conclusion

Social media fails are a special kind of secondhand embarrassment. They remind us that behind every tweet, post, and hashtag is a human (or sometimes a bot) just trying to keep up with the chaos. While these mishaps might make us cringe, they also give us a reason to laugh—and maybe triple-check our own posts before hitting “publish.”

Have a favorite social media fail we missed? Drop it in the comments—we’re here for the LOLs (and the cautionary tales).