This article was originally published on Kueez
There are many reasons why a person would share a post on social media that's at odds with the objective truth. Maybe it was an honest mistake. Maybe they weren't paying attention to what they were doing. Or maybe, they're inveterate attention seekers who can't stop lying to get attention. Dealing with that can be exhausting, but sometimes, it can be hilarious. Check out the epic way these geniuses called out people for their bogus posts:
Doing It for the Gram, but Also Not Really Doing It
In a matter of years, social media has become a central part of our lives, and there are people out there who will actually make decisions based on questions such as, "How can I turn this everyday thing that I do into hundreds of likes from my online followers?" There's even a name for that phenomenon, and that's the infamous "Doing it for the gram." There are the people who do it for the gram, and then there's this person.
She was doing it for the gram, but not really doing it. She said she was going hiking, but as her own sister pointed out, she was just posing in the backyard.
Someone's About to Smash That Spread of Misinformation
This person online excitedly shared a story of how a disgruntled worker smashed his boss' fancy car as revenge for not being properly paid, and then called the whole thing "smashing." Little did they know, someone was about to "smash" their spread of misinformation. Another clever internet user saw the post and after a few seconds of research online, they learned the whole truth about what was really going on.
A few seconds of research is really all it takes, isn't it? The truth is that the video was a marketing campaign for a car insurance company - nothing more.
Inspiring Words of Action or Mediocre Work of Fiction?
Being connected to hundreds, thousands, potentially millions of people through the internet and especially through social media sometimes makes us feel like we can accomplish anything. Indeed, there have been many occasions when folks online came together for a common cause, and the results were overwhelmingly good. However, that only happens when the cause is valid and most importantly genuine, which as someone pointed out, is definitely not the case here.
Someone shared this story about how over a million people abandoned their cars and forced their government to lower the price of gas, but it was all a mediocre work of fiction.
The World's Most Underwhelming "Before and After"
People love a good "before and after" - no wonder there are so many of those in movies, TV series, and even children's books. From "Ugly Duckling" to Pretty Woman, from Cinderella to The Princess Diaries, we can't get enough of seeing the previously overlooked, neglected, and mistreated character blossom into the belle of the ball and suddenly have everyone's admiration. It's all about the reveal, too, and the bigger the transformation, the better.
This woman clearly wanted to star in a "before and after" of her own, but that was the world's most underwhelming transformation, because as someone pointed out, no one actually called her "ugly" in middle school.
Chris O'Dowd Does Not Only Want to Play Irish Characters
We usually think of social media as a great tool for fans because they can get closer and have direct access to their favorite celebrities, but now that we think about it, social media is also a great tool for celebrities, isn't it? It gives them a voice of their own. They get to actually interact with people and the media, and when something is said about them, they can immediately set the record straight when they feel the need to do so.
Take Chris O'Dowd, for instance. When he has incorrectly quoted there, the Bridesmaids and The IT Crowd actor was able to rectify that no, Chris O'Dowd does not only want to play Irish characters.
Time Traveler, or the Work of an Attention Seeker?
The thing about lying online is that one can easily fool a whole bunch of people with a single post, but all it takes is one person with an eye for detail and the courage to call out those annoying Pinocchios, and the castle of lies will fall to the ground. Whoever shared this post to Reddit, for instance, got the approval of dozens of people who were in awe with the photo of OP's girlfriend's mother after moving from Italy to England in the 1970s.
They didn't pay attention to the fact that the woman is wearing a Fitbit in the picture, which means that she's either a time traveler, or OP is a liar who's desperate for attention.
Saying so Much by Saying so Little
We're not gonna lie - it's quite disheartening to see how easy it is for misinformation to be shared online. Take this post as an example. Someone said they were so happy to have finally learned that "NEWS stands for 'notable events, weather, and sports," and they got thousands of retweets and likes. None of those thousands of people thought about checking if the information was accurate. Instead, they immediately reacted and helped share the wrong info to even more people.
The Merriam-Webster dictionary joined the conversation and said so much by saying so little with a simple "No." They also got thousands of retweets and likes, but the damage was done.
When the Establishment Owner Claps Back at an Unfair Review
Online reviews are supposed to be a useful tool that allows us to read about other people's actual experiences with establishments, businesses, and service providers, but somehow it ended up being a place where petty customers whine about not being treated like the Queen of England. Unfortunately, many reviews which are supposed to help us make decisions turn out to be unreliable and inaccurate. They're quite useless, unless in situations like this one.
When someone leaves an unfair review and the establishment owner decides to clap back, then at least the whole thing is entertaining. Good on this businessperson for explaining the truth about what really went down at their shop.
Turning Generations Against Each Other, One Post at a Time
Some people lie online because they want attention, and while it's annoying to deal with someone you know is lying all the time, their deception is usually harmless. Then, there are the people whose lies are harder to forgive, because they're irresponsible and don't realize or don't care about the possible consequences of their wrongful actions. This post, for instance, wasn't harmless - it was trying to pitch generations against each other.
The picture even clearly shows the faces of the "inconsiderate youths," who would possibly get a lot of criticism online, if one commenter hadn't observed that there's an empty seat right there and therefore this person is just looking for trouble.
This Is Why Some People Don't "friend" Their Family on Social Media
Social media is supposed to bring people together, but in this case, it is creating a bit of a problem between mother and son. To be fair, it's all his fault - he's the one who decided to lie on his profile knowing full well that his family was watching. He shared an update saying "My parents didn't buy my car - I bet you can't steal this status," and all was well, until his mother saw that.
She couldn't keep it to herself, and we're glad she didn't. She set the record straight, letting everyone know who had bought her son's first truck, and we bet he started to think twice before lying online again.
When You Realize You're Dealing With a Serial Liar
Lying all the time must be exhausting, because imagine how much brain power you have to use just to keep up with your own lies. After all, it's not just about inventing information and presenting it to other people - you also have to remember which lie you told to which person, and we're tired just thinking about it. No wonder the serial liars in this list were caught red-handed!
This redditor, for instance, was a 15-year-old girl wanting advice on what to do after dropping out of school, but they completely forgot that not long ago, they were a 17-year-old father-to-be.
When You Get Corrected by Captain Marvel Herself
Social media accounts that aim to keep people informed have a huge responsibility nowadays, because posts are so easily shared, a wrong piece of information can reach thousands of people in a matter of minutes. Not only that, it is pretty embarrassing when someone notices a wrong piece of information and corrects it in front of everyone. That's what happened here, and it wasn't just any person pointing out a mistake - it was award-winning actress Brie Larson.
This account shares news related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and they happened to report something untrue about Brie Larson. They ended up being corrected by Captain Marvel herself.
That Time John Carpenter Sent Rotten Tomatoes Some Proof of Life
So, this is embarrassing. Rotten Tomatoes once shared a story about master of horror John Carpenter, who "would have been 70 years old today," but it's like, the director is alive and well, why are you talking about him like he's not here with us? Carpenter then showed that he's not just a master of horror, he's also a master of humor, by replying to the tweet with the funniest proof of life.
He said that "despite how it appears, I'm not actually dead," and fans were delighted by the interaction. Well, Rotten Tomatoes can always blame it on the intern.
When False Advertising Is so Fake, It's Laughable
False advertising is evil, and advertisers who profit from misleading people into buying their bogus products should not only be ashamed of themselves, they should also go to jail. Yes, we're absolutely against false advertising, but even we have to admit that this one is so bad, it is funny. These people were trying to sell some type of teeth whitening system, but their photo-editing skills are ridiculous, like they had never used Photoshop before.
They used the first sepia filter they could find on the "before" shot, not paying attention that they were changing the tone in the entire photo, not just the teeth. As this clever person pointed out about the "after" shot, "Wow, it even brightened his skin!"
Lying so Much, They Can't Get Their Stories Straight
We get that people sometimes get lonely and they crave social interaction, but why do they gotta do it through lies and stories that were completely made up? Seeing some of these posts, it almost makes us feel like everyone is lying all the time just to get some attention. This redditor, for instance, shared a moving tale of how they were receiving their elementary school education at 49 years old, and they were getting all the love.
That is, until someone pointed out how 38 days ago they were a 29-year-old living with their parents after dropping out of high school, so yeah.
Someone Skipped Their Geography Lessons
Some of the bogus posts in this list were created by ill-intentioned people. Some of them were created by lonely internet users who were hungry for attention. And then we have the bogus posts that just make us confused. We don't see how anyone would profit or get extra attention from mislabeling an image like this, but maybe they just skipped their geography lessons? No, that doesn't even make sense.
Or does it? Is it logical for someone to have mixed up India and Italy just because they both start with "I"? We hope not, but then again, this is the internet.
“He Said She Said” in the Grown up World
We hear the words "he said she said" and we think of romantic comedy films and Ashley Tisdale hits. "He said she said" is not something we thought would have a place in the very serious and grown-up world of investigative journalism, but this is what is happening here, apparently. An investigative journalist and one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in the world started to exchange words on social media, and it was on.
People were reacting real time to the conversation, and we were suddenly reminded of that Michael Jackson gif from the Thriller music video, eating popcorn and looking very interested in what's going on.
Cue That Viral Song Why You Always Lying
Why is it that we can almost hear that viral song "Why You Always Lying" playing quietly as we read the post below? Ah yes, it's because this person is always lying. They're not very good liars though, which is surprising, since it seems like they do it all the time. Practice makes perfect, they say, but apparently not in this case. And they're irresponsible, too, because they're talking about an actual brand here.
One person in the comment section wasn't having any of it. They're consumers of this particular pizza brand, and know what their pies really look like. Also, as they mentioned, OP didn't even hide their pizza cutter!
That's Some Next-Level Attention Seeking Right There
Imagine scrolling through Reddit one day and then seeing this adorable photo of a baby boy laughing out loud with his funny father. But wait a minute, that baby boy is your baby boy, and the father is, well, you! That's what happened to this man, who caught someone in one of the most confusing lies on this list. Some random redditor had posted a stranger's photo and pretended it was theirs, because they wanted to draw attention to themselves.
They got what they wanted, as the picture made it to the front page and they got thousands of upvotes. However they were also caught by the real owner of the image, and we're just confused.
Reverse-Image Search Should Be Everyone's Best Friend
A couple of years ago people started sharing this image showing what was supposedly the aftermath of a group of environmentalists celebrating Earth Day. Looks so weird, right? How could environmentalists do this to a public park? Sounds unlikely, but social media users who apparently never heard of a little tool called reverse-image search didn't even think about questioning the veracity of this post and just helped spread the lie.
As this person in the comments pointed out, the claim being made in the post is false. A quick reverse-image search proves that the photo actually shows the aftermath of a tailgating party at the University of Georgia, in 2009.
When the "Most Relevant" Review Is Not Relevant at All
A diner's worst nightmare is finding something in their food that had no business being there - a bug, a hair, or even a fingernail, which is what's described in the review below. The reviewer also wrote that the customer service at this particular restaurant was "shocking," and that in the end they asked for a refund and didn't receive anything. Sounds like it was the worst experience in the world, doesn't it?
That is, until we saw the response from the owner, who explained the restaurant is not even open yet, so the claims are absolutely untrue. There's no way of finding out the truth, but our guess is that the reviewer also owns a restaurant and they were trying to bring down their competition.
Like Joey Tribbiani Sending a Bottle of Wine to Himself
We're actually not sure if this was really a blatant lie since there's a chance the person who took the order by phone added that note to the delivery person, but if it's true that Vine star Thomas Sanders added this note about himself when he ordered something online, then he definitely pulled a Joey Tribbiani. Remember that Friends episode when Joey and Rachel are on a date, and they’re showing each other's date moves?
Joey reveals that he usually has a bottle of wine sent to his table "from a fan," so he can impress his date by saying "I just wanna have a normal life."
Making Things Worse for No Reason Whatsoever
Everybody knows that nobody's perfect, and yet, some people have a really difficult time admitting that they're not excellent at every single aspect in life. Person A, who starts the conversation shown in this post, for instance, is not a very good driver, but they will hide that fact from everyone as if that was the most shameful thing in the world. They claimed someone hit them behind in the parking lot, and they even had the photo to "prove it."
However, Person B saw what really happened - a bad reversal into a brick wall. Person A made things even worse for themselves, because now they're not only a bad driver, but a liar, too.
It's Like He's Not Even Trying to Lie to Us
If there's one thing we learned while we watched all these people lying and then getting caught, is that if a person wants to tell a good lie, they have to commit to it. Really invest in the story, create lots of details to make it believable, and add some depth to it. Maybe role play a little to get into character. Repeat that lie until it becomes the only truth.
However, most people don't have this type of commitment. Look at this guy, for instance. All he had to do was to sell a pair of used glasses as new, and he didn't even change the profile picture where he's wearing the glasses.
Be the Person Your Cat Thinks You Are
Have you ever heard the phrase "Be the person your pet thinks you are?" This is supposed to serve as strong motivation since our little domestic animals tend to look up to us as responsible, caring people who are good providers. Well, we're not sure this person's pets think so highly of their human, who’s trying to sell a "slightly used couch, soft, grey, no pets" - while a white cat is clearly sitting behind the couch.
Be the person your pet thinks you are? Well, if this cat thinks that its human is a big liar, then yes, this person is doing a great job.
Messing With the Wrong Ready-To-Assemble Furniture Manufacturer
We already knew we could count on IKEA for home goods that are stylish, affordable, and easy to customize. After seeing this post, we learned that we can also count on them for information about how to properly fly the flags of two nations in times of peace. Some person on the internet tried to challenge them by claiming the American flag should be flying higher than the Swedish one in front of their Jacksonville store, but IKEA was ready.
They quoted the exact UN code they were following for nations in times of peace, showing that the person had just messed with the wrong ready-to-assemble furniture manufacturer.
Trying to Profit From Other People's Hard Work
There are few things more despicable than taking credit for other people's hard work, and we believe that if there is any justice in this life, there must be a special place in hell for everyone who does stuff like that. That's what's happening here, and to make it even worse, this is a company that's trying to profit by using this woman's photos without her authorization. That's not ok, that's not ok at all!
This woman lost weight through diet and exercise, and the company is saying she did it by drinking two bottles of whatever it is they're selling. After being called out in public, hopefully they'll drop the act.
Making Shakespeare Turn in His Grave
We heard that "those who speak the loudest often have nothing to say," and this is not just about the literal volume in which the person is talking, right? It's also about how people who are on the verge of arrogance simply have tons of unearned confidence. This Twitter user, for instance, seems to be absolutely sure that they know everything about the English language, and they're trying to teach everyone that there is no "am."
It didn't take long for someone to quickly put them in their place though, and we're kinda curious to see how the first person reacted to that.
Getting (Gently) Corrected by The Mountain
Even dedicated fan pages make mistakes every once in a while and end up sharing bogus posts. What makes this case special is the fact that this Game of Thrones fan page's admins were corrected by the very celebrity they were posting about - Icelandic strongman and actor Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson, who played Ser Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane in the HBO adaptation of George R. R. Martin's epic novels.
The gentle giant saw this post claiming he has two brothers, and rectified that those men are actually two basketball players in Iceland. He doesn't even have a brother, but two sisters.
And Then He Woke up and Realized It Had All Been a Dream
Many of us have, or at least know someone who does, a cool story about meeting a celebrity in real life. Those stories become important to us, and we love telling them to our friends again and again, especially when they end in a positive way. This person apparently really wanted to have a cool story involving a celebrity, so much so that he decided to invent one himself. His celebrity of choice? Harry Styles.
The only issue is that he told his little story on social media, and Harry heard about it. His simple reply was the best, and it made us like him even more.
Not a Good Day for Chantelle
Life certainly has a way of kicking you when you're down, doesn't it? Take this woman called Chantelle, for instance. She took to social media to vent about having been let down by her father once again, but her writing skills are not the best, so she didn't add the important comma after "me," making her message a bit confusing. Someone kindly corrected it, but Chantelle was having none of it.
She didn't want an English lesson, not right now, so she showed some attitude. The person she was talking to landed the final blow, and we have to guess that Chantelle had enough of social media for the day.
Calling It What It Is
We're not judging this person's feelings, because we do know that sometimes people take advantage of their friends who have a driver's license and a car. They asked to be driven around the city like they have their own personal chauffeur, and they don't even offer to split the cost of parking or gas. Yes, the feeling is understandable, but the logic? The logic is flawed, and this commenter was spot on.
It's one thing to have a friend split the cost of parking or gas, but to expect payment? Well, that would make you a taxi, or maybe even an Uber.
With a Mom Like This Who Needs Enemies
We were familiar with the expression "with friends like you, who needs enemies?" but this post has introduced us to another version of it - "with a mom like this, who needs enemies?" This poor person was sharing a joke online about how the only person who finds them attractive is their mom, which is half funny, half sad, you know, the type of self-deprecating humor we like and usually practice in our daily lives.
But this person's mom apparently doesn't go for half funny half sad, she goes for completely savage, and her reply perfectly explains why OP practices self-deprecating humor.
The Sun Has Fallen Out of Orbit
Some people love to play hypothetical questions, as they can be fun, creative, and quite thought provoking. They work great on social media too, because they create engagement, and not only do you get your friends to interact with you, you often get them interacting with each other in the comments. This person shared an elaborate hypothetical question looking to engage with their friends, but someone there was not having it at all.
They wrote a message even longer than the hypothetical question itself, explaining exactly why everything about the original post is ignorant and useless. Guess someone won't be playing hypothetical questions anymore.
Broken-Hearted or Scared for His Life?
You know how they say "there's a fine line" between things that sound like they're not close at all? For instance, "there's a fine line between love and hate," or "there's a fine line between genius and insanity," or our favorite, "there’s a fine line between genius and stupidity"? Well, this apparently is another one of those cases. What happened here is that OP shared a stock image of what he claims is a guy with a broken heart.
As we learned in the comments, however, this is actually a guy who doesn't want his girlfriend to check his web history, so we guess "there's a fine line between being broken-hearted and scared for one's life"?
Well That Certainly Backfired
This person was trying to appeal to the ladies, but when someone tries to make themselves feel better by putting other people down, that's usually a bad sign, isn't it? This guy was saying that "your boyfriend" looks plain while he looks strong and full of muscles, implying that any woman dating another man is making a mistake - they should be with this guy! -, but his attempt at being funny simply backfired.
This Clive guy in the comments said it like it is - "the Boyfriend is a cool guy looking decent as well-mannered while you..." Well, you can read what he said.
When Moms Are the Best
There are moments in life people don't usually forget, and one of those moments is when a special someone you care about tells you "I love you" for the very first time. This person was over the moon because they had felt that sensation - "a girl told me that she loves me," they wrote on their social media status. Some would say how weird it is that they shared such a private moment like that, but some would just take the opportunity to have some fun.
This one commenter, for instance, saw the opportunity, and they took it. They couldn't believe the story was true, so they said, "Aren't moms great?" Yes, they are.
Goodness Gracious, Evan
Talking about the end of life is always difficult. If you go to your favorite search tool right now and look for the subject, you'll see millions of results teaching people how to approach the topic, how to get in touch with emotions, be honest, be ready to listen, and not be afraid to cry. This Andy person was talking about the epitaph they would want on their tombstone, and their friend Evan had no chill.
Evan doesn't think that talking about the end of life is difficult at all, and their reply killed it. We're surprised they didn't get more "likes" than that.
The Importance of Using a Spell Checker
There's a famous saying that motivational speakers and HRs love repeating, and that is, "There is no I in team." This person likes the general idea of it, but they decided to tweak it a little to fit their needs, and they turned it into "They is no I in 'happyness'" but well, you see where we're going. Jake there sees it too, and they were not afraid to point out their friend's mistake.
This is why using a spell checker is important. The funniest thing though is that before Jake pointed out the error, two people "liked" the faulty phrase.
Getting What They Deserved
Ah, instant karma. There's something so satisfying about watching someone who just did something bad get immediately punished for their actions. It brings a sense of balance to the universe, and it almost makes us believe that justice is a real thing. Anyways. This person was bashing "ugly people," saying it makes their heart smile when two of them find each and fall in love. How very pretentious. Who does this person think they are - Angelina Jolie?
One of their friends simply replied, "So who's the lucky guy?" and we wish their name wasn't blurred, so we could look them up online and go "like" their comment.