The Internet is a truly harsh mistress. And on social media, where likes, retweets, and faves are the main currency, sometimes it can feel like your posts are getting lost in the detritus of selfies and pictures of sandwiches. Some geniuses have figured out that the more horrible your post, the more eyes you can get on it. Whether it’s just because people like to be shocked, or because everyone loves a train wreck, awful things posted on social media tend to get a lot of attention. This list looks at some of the worst things posted on Facebook, Twitter, and the rest of social media all in the name of likes.
It’s hard to tell what makes bad social media posts. But when you see them, you know it. From a husband posting a selfie while his wife is in labor to a police officer telling his Facebook friends to run over protestors, awful comes in many flavors. Below you'll find some of the most heinous posts from around the web that were seemingly posted solely to gain attention. Prepare to get angry and sad.
People Who Posted Awful Things Just to Get a Few Likes,
Pro-Cop Facebook Page Posts Jokes About Dead Protestors
In 2016, a Facebook page known simply as "Police Officers" that usually posts pro-cop messages (which is great, as many cops do wonderful work) suddenly started posting memes of Bernie Sanders as a child molester, and pictures depicting dead Black Lives Matter and anti-Trump protestors.
Ohio Woman Livestreams a Rape
In early 2016, an 18-year-old woman from Ohio made the insane decision to livestream her friend's rape on Periscope, instead of helping her escape the assault. After she was arrested, the woman claimed she was recording the video for evidence, and that she was too caught up in the attention the video was getting to do anything to stop the attack.
These Dopes Ruined Halloween
You what's cool the worst? When someone is murdered because of the color of their skin and people try to profit off of the tragedy in the form of meaningless social media likes. Speaking of which, these truly terrible people went to a Halloween party in 2013 dressed as Trayvon Martin (complete with black face) and George Zimmerman.
Cop Asks Facebook Friends to Run Over Protestors
A ~very cool~ police sergeant from St. Paul was put on leave after he made a post on Facebook instructing his friends on how to get away with running over Black Lives Matter protestors. He wrote: "Run them over. Keep traffic flowing and don’t slow down for any of these idiots who try and block the street. Here is the deal, you continue to drive and if you hit someone make sure you call 911 to report the accident and meet the cops a block or two away.”
4chan User Livestreams Suicide Attempt
A 4Chan user by the name of "Stephen" livestreamed his suicide attempt to 200 people(!) in 2013. As a sort of suicide note, he wrote, “As an oldf*g who’s been on 4chan since 2004, I thought I would finally give back to the community. I am willing to an hero [commit suicide] on cam for you all.” Then he ingested a handful of pills, a lit a fire in the corner of his room, and crawled under his bed.
Teenager Commits Suicide on Periscope
In 2016, a deeply troubled French teen sent a text to her friends letting them know that she was going to kill herself, and then livestreamed the act on Periscope. Shortly after beginning the stream, the woman threw herself in front of a suburban train.
Dummy Makes a Bomb Threat on Twitter
It's important to note that even if you don't agree with someone's political mindset, the only way to reach a true understanding is by having a conversation. What you shouldn't do is post a bomb threat directed toward a Trump rally (or anyone's rally) on Twitter. This dum-dum's post read: “Is someone going to bomb the trump rally or am I going to have to?” Obvi, the Secret Service immediately swooped in and had a very expensive conversation with the poster.
Drunk Driver Livestreams Her Evening
In this real life nightmare, a woman spent an evening livestreaming her drunk misadventures. At one point she said to her audience: “I’m driving. I think I’m on a flat tire. This is horrible… Goodbye red light… This song is super hot, I want you guys to know.” As the video spread, her viewers thankfully alerted the Lakeland, FL police, who were able to locate her and put a stop to her shenanigans.
Lame-o Indie Band Goes on Anti-Trans Rant
In 2015, a band called Whirr went on a transphobic Twitter rant that was mostly directed at a punk band called G.L.O.S.S. which has transgender members. Aside from making fun of them for being transgender, Whirr also told people who made negative comments about the rant to commit suicide. Classy. The stunt ended up getting them jettisoned from their label.
Oklahoma Sorority Posts Vine of Racist House Mother
University of Oklahoma's Sigma Alpha Epsilon obviously doesn't understand how the Internet works, because if they did, they wouldn't post a Vine of their house mother singing the N-word over and over for the entire world to see. When the house mother was interviewed after the video blew up online, she denied knowing what she was doing. "I don't know what I'm doing. I mean, I'm in shock."