90degrees’ social-media marketing manager Nicola Semple revisits some of the biggest online clangers dropped by those in power. Brace for the cringe…
- The $8 Billion Abortionplex That Wasn’t
What happened? US congressman Rep. John Fleming posted a link on his Facebook page to an article headlined “Planned Parenthood Opens $8 Billion Abortionplex”, along with an angry comment about this new super-sized clinic representing “abortion by wholesale”.
Except, of course, Planned Parenthood hadn’t really opened a stadium-sized “abortionplex” at all, and the story itself had been published by well-known satirical website, The Onion.
Unsurprisingly, Fleming was mercilessly mocked by Facebook users until he eventually deleted the post and released a red-faced “no comment” statement through a spokesman.
What can we learn from this? Always check your sources – especially if there’s a chance that they might be 100% joking.
2. George’s La-Dee-Da Burger
What happened? Back in 2013, then-chancellor George Osborne attempted to demonstrate his man-of-the-people credentials by tweeting a pic of himself scoffing down a burger while putting the finishing touches to a spending review. Hey, he’s just like you and me!
Turns out, though, he wasn’t. Eagle-eyed reporting by The Sun revealed that the burger was from la-dee-dah chain Byron Hamburgers, and would’ve cost in the region of seven quid. George’s relatable-scruffy-prole ruse was ruined, and Twitter went for the jugular.
What can we learn from this? If you make a pranny of yourself on social-media, it’s always best to immediately hold your hands up and admit as much. Osborne confessed that he was relatively new to Twitter and unaccustomed to its sharp-eyed snarkiness. “There I am working late on my speech,” he commented, “and I’ve got a takeaway hamburger, and it puts you on the front page of The Sun!”
3. Ed Balls: “Ed Balls”
What happened? On 28 April 2011, Ed Balls – for some mysterious, cack-handed reason – fired off a tweet that consisted of his own name and absolutely nothing else.
Twitter went predictably mental for this surreal slip-up, to such a degree that 28 April is now Ed Balls Day on the platform, with brands from British Airways to Domino’s Pizza all joining in on the meme lolz.
And why, exactly, is it funny? God knows. It just is, okay?
What can we learn from this? Ed Balls.
4. Cameron’s Seriousface Phone Call
What happened? Backfiring even more dramatically than George Osborne’s posh-burger tweet (above), then-PM David Cameron’s tweeted pic of his Very Serious International Politics face – supposedly captured while on the phone to then-president Barack Obama
Things really went downhill for Dave when Patrick Stewart and comedian Rob Delaney posted parody pics of themselves performing Cameron-style phone-faces – Delaney holding a tube of Crest to his ear, Stewart a packet of Wet Ones.
What can we learn from this? Pomposity, insincerity and shameless displays of I-am-very-important rarely go down well on social media.
5. Weiner’s Weiner
What happened? On 27 May 2011, then-US-congressman (and then-married) Anthony Weiner tweeted a picture of his excited man-bits for all and sundry on Twitter to have a gander at. He’d meant to private-message the dick pic to a 21-year-old student who he’d been in saucy communication with, but, uh… messed that right up.
Resigning from his job, he was also forced to hold a press conference at which he admitted that he’d “exchanged messages and photos of an explicit nature with about six women over the last three years”. Busted.
What can we learn from this? The lessons are pretty clear with this one, no?
6. Sarah Palin Speakifies Ungreatly
What happened? In a typically reasoned and non-inflammatory tweet, Sarah Palin demanded that then-president Barack Obama “refudiate” plans for a “Ground Zero mosque” (actually an Islamic cultural centre to be built two blocks from the World Trade Center site).
Palin was mocked for her use of the word “refudiate”, which is, of course, gibberish. She countered with “Shakespeare liked to coin new words too”, offering “misunderestimate” and “wee-wee’d up” as examples of acceptable nonsense terminology.
What can we learn from this? Well, it’s… Wait, did she say “wee-wee’d up”?
7. Covfefe
What happened? Covfefe, mate. Covfefe happened. Also, one of the funniest Twitter responses of all time:
What can we learn from this? Twitter can create comedic gold out of absolutely any old shit.
8. Hillary’s Logo Woes
What happened? In a misjudged attempt to honour civil rights icon Rosa Parks on the anniversary of her arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus, Hillary Clinton’s design team incorporated an illustration of Parks into Clinton’s social-media ‘H’ logo.
The new logo was shared on social media before being swiftly taken down once Clinton’s team clocked that people were getting very incensed by what they saw as a culturally insensitive image of a black women being forced to sit at the back of a bus in the 1950s. A bus made out of a giant H, at that.
What can we learn from this? If you ever have doubts about the suitability of a post, put a pin in it and get other people to cast their eyes over it. And if they pull an “ooh, I dunno…” face, sack that post off.
9. Blackbustersgate
What happened? Then-Labour-leader Ed Milliband cocked-up a tweet mourning the death of Bob Holness by referring to him as the host of “Blackbusters”, which… was not a popular 1980s gameshow.
What can we learn from this? Spellcheck is always your pal.
10. Jeb Gets Self-Pwned
What happened? During the early days of his presidential run, Jeb Bush made thousands of Reddit users very happy when he tweeted a pic of himself against a green screen – foolishly opening himself up to all manner of Photoshoppery.
What can we learn from this? Posting a tweet is like opening Pandora’s Box: there should be be a moment’s pause where you ask yourself, “What are the possible outcomes here?”
In poor Jeb’s case, those outcomes included…
11. Chuck Carnt Spel
What happened? Evrywon laff at Chck Grsslys tweets & spellin, but he spell good! Peepl mean, giv him brake.
What can we learn from this? US senator Chuck Grassley is every granddad on Whatsapp, and a classic case of ‘too much to say, too quickly’. He’s become (in)famous for his shambolic tweetings, but honestly, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Never change, sir.
(It’s actually 140 characters, Chuck.)
Nicola Semple is the social-media marketing manager at Manchester-based creative communications agency 90degrees
