CuriositiesSEP 20, 2022

30 Cringy And Embarrassing People Who Got Totally Blindsided By Their Internet 'Fame'

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Over the past few decades, society has transitioned to turning to the internet for everything. Shopping, watching movies and shows, keeping in touch with our friends and family members, and even as a way to turn regular people into celebrities. Today, the idea of the influencer is nothing new, as the word has even been in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary since 2019, but depending on who you ask, the word can have a positive or negative connotation.

It has never been easier to stumble upon 15 minutes of fame, yet not everyone handles that small amount of fame with grace. Reddit user JesseB342 recently started a conversation by asking, “What’s the smallest amount of internet fame/clout that you’ve seen go to someone’s head?” And hundreds of readers responded with the cringiest stories imaginable.

Below, we’ve gathered some of the best responses that might make you glad you never went viral on TikTok, so be sure to upvote the stories featuring people you would never follow on social media. Keep reading to also find interviews with Sue Scheff, author of Shame Nation: The Global Epidemic of Online Hate, and Dr. Jenna Drenten to gain some insight from a couple experts on the topic of influencers. Let us know in the comments if you have any personal experiences with people who let gaining a tiny platform go to their heads, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda article featuring influencers that deserved to be shamed online, you can find that right here.

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#21

30 Cringy And Embarrassing People Who Got Totally Blindsided By Their Internet 'Fame'

I worked with a guy and every time he met someone new he had to tell them he was an actor. He had a YouTube channel with 47 subscribers and called himself something embarrassing for a man his age.

Graceland1979, Patrick T'Kindt

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81points

We are also all well aware of the negative effects social media can have on young people’s mental health and self-confidence, and influencers do not get to plead innocent as far as that is concerned. The typical influencer only shows a highlight reel of their life online and is likely to edit how they look in photos beyond recognition. Young followers may see this content and feel like their lives are way too boring and uneventful because they are not jet-setting around the world and posting photos from beautiful beaches every week. And when influencers edit their faces and bodies to look differently than they do in real life, followers might gain a warped sense of what they are ‘supposed’ to look like and feel pressure to manipulate their own bodies. The fact is that influencers are often not very upfront about their real lives online, and it does not do any good for impressionable followers.

#22

This girl I went to school with was an... aspiring actress. She was in some low quality YouTube short film and she basically was trying to convince everyone that she was famous and that all these companies wanted her because of it. She even had these head shots that she would bring into class to show everyone... and nobody cared. She really thought she was better than everyone and even acted like a celebrity. Like she would come in with sunglasses and basically treat everyone as if they shouldn't even be breathing the same air as her. It was honestly sad.

shroomssoup, Dmitriy Zub

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80points

#23

I saw someone once act like they controlled the whole internet in person, threatening to show videos she recorded to her "leagion of fans".

She had 1,000 followers. On instagram. No other big followings.

the_original_toast, Ivan Samkov

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76points

#24

Back in high school I commented on a Childish Gambino instagram post and it got a like from the account. I proceeded to tell every single person in my class; my friends were singing my praises: that’s so cool, wow THE Childish Gambino, you probably got the biggest celebrity acknowledgement via social media, etc.

I find out later it was a Childish Gambino fan account with the same profile pic that liked my comment. I never told anyone.

kzo_shadow, NASA HQ PHOTOFollow

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74points

If you really want to be an influencer, please don’t end up like any of the people on this list (if they even count as influencers). Use your platform to promote some good in the world. Don’t take paid sponsorships from fast fashion brands who are polluting the planet or companies that promote dangerous products like “weight loss pills”. Discuss real issues with your followers, such as how they can reduce their carbon footprints and how they can help others around the world. Maybe if you donate some money to help Ukraine win the war Russia is waging against them, your followers will do the same. Being an influencer is not for everyone, and perhaps it should not be for anyone. But if you have influence over others, please use it responsibly. And if you don’t have it, you might actually want to be thankful for that.

#25

Corey Worthington. Had to Google him to remember his name but he was this stupid kid who threw a party in 2008 that he blasted on Facebook & hundreds ended up showing up. The cops came. The neighbourhood went crazy. The media showed up. He tried to milk that one night for years. These days people just remember him as that dumb kid who threw a party & looked like a tool.

OldTiredAnnoyed, Jacob Bentzinger

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69points

#26

I started a fantasy football podcast with some friends a few years ago and after one episode with like 5 plays, I thought, “Man, this is easy. We’ll get big in no time.” So I talked to the guys about setting up a Patreon and seeing what they thought about talking to fantasy football platforms to be their official podcast lol.

The high of sharing something you created with the world like it’s god’s gift to mankind. We went on to do the show for a couple years and definitely tempered our expectations after a few episodes, but it was a lot of fun either way.

kingbuttshit, cottonbro

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63points

#27

Just go to any anime conventions, some volunteer staffers would abuse the slightest amount of power they have to make everyone's life difficult. This isn't just the ones you see on the floor but it can go all the way to the top of the food chain.

Don't trust me? Go volunteer at your closest anime convention, you will be disgusted.

I knew a guy who was probably bullied all his life but he had a high ranking position at the local con. He once fired a volunteer because they looked at him the wrong way.

That being said, I did meet some really good and kind hearted people volunteering. The sad thing is that they eventually get burnt out by those assholes.

Vaivaim8

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57points

Is this list making you hate influencers? We hope you're amused by these cringey stories, and I hope you have not personally encountered anyone who deserves a spot on this list. Keep upvoting the stories of people you find most obnoxious, and then let us know in the comments how you feel about individuals who let a tiny bit of fame go to their heads. And then if you're interested in checking out another Bored Panda article calling out influencers, you can find one right here.

#28

I remember this guy about a decade ago (forgot his name) who did some comedy videos, but mostly made super niche metal music that was themed around some heavy handed fantasy story he wrote ("the Thalrogs are fighting the Bromthean war against the Melohomiroglites," type s**t).

Anyways, he had like 10k subs and then one day uploaded a video basically yelling at his fans and blaming them for not making him a famous rockstar. Totally missing the forest for the trees saying things like "you all just want my comedy videos but none of you buy my music, f**k you," over and over again on video before shutting down his channel.

zachtheperson, Jakayla Toney

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55points

#29

Ages ago the Washington Post used to have a free tabloid, one page featured quotes from various local blog posts.

My blog would get quoted sometimes and I'd think it was sort of neat, but some of the other bloggers got OBSESSED and would, like, go scoop up a thousand copies of the tabloid to hoard because they were now Famous Bloggers.

rotatingruhnama, Marcus Silva

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53points

#30

An Ex of mine ran a Pokémon RP forum in the late 2000s, even designed the art for Fakemons of her own and coded the site and everything.

And boy howdy, did she think she was an absolute GOD to the like, 6 people that used that forum. Nobody even inflated her ego about it, it was as if she had stuck a bicycle pump directly to her head and never stopped pumping.

In a non-negative context she really did put A LOT of effort into the site and art and lore and I understand why she was disappointed all that work never amounted to anything but she took everything as an almost literal, purposeful attack on her digital baby. Her one Mod wasn't present for the site's official Launch Date and you'd have thought the Mod tossed her dog off a bridge. Again, she had ever right to be proud of the work she put in, honestly it was pretty great and took a lot of time and dedication- but it really, really went to her head and ego. Hell I even got scolded for not attending opening day- a date I wasn't even told about.

anon

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48points

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