The 10 Biggest Social Media Fails in History
Social media can build brands and reputations, but when things go wrong, the internet never forgets.
- Chris Graciano
- 3 min read
One negative post, tweet, or campaign may cause instant disaster, leaving businesses and individuals scurrying to recover. From tone-deaf marketing to unintentional disclosures, social media has had its fair share of memorable mistakes. Here are 10 of the most notorious social media failures in history, demonstrating that the internet can be ruthless.
1. Pepsi’s Tone-Deaf Protest Ad (2017)
Martin Péchy on Pexels
Pepsi’s ad featuring Kendall Jenner trying to resolve social justice issues with a soda was meant to be inspiring. Instead, it came off as clueless and trivialized real protests.
2. United Airlines Drags a Passenger (2017)
Steven He on Wikimedia Commons
After a video of a passenger being violently dragged off an overbooked flight went viral, United’s response made things worse. Instead of apologizing, they initially defended their actions.
3. McDonald’s “Lovin’” Campaign Backfires (2015)
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McDonald’s launched a Twitter campaign encouraging users to share “Lovin’” moments. Instead, people flooded the hashtag with complaints about bad service and unhealthy food.
4. Burger King’s Offensive Women’s Day Tweet (2021)
Giona Mason on Pexels
On International Women’s Day, Burger King UK tweeted, “Women belong in the kitchen.” trying to make a point about promoting female chefs. The backlash was immediate, with many calling it sexist before reading the full thread.
5. Susan Boyle’s Unfortunate Hashtag (2012)
Christian Lessenich on Wikimedia Commons
When promoting Susan Boyle’s new album, her team used the hashtag #SusanAlbumParty. Unfortunately, many people misread it in a much less appropriate way.
6. DiGiorno Pizza’s Insensitive Tweet (2014)
Mike Mozart on Flickr
DiGiorno jumped on the trending hashtag #WhyIStayed, not realizing it was about domestic abuse. Their tweet, “#WhyIStayed You had pizza,” was instantly criticized for being insensitive.
7. Chrysler’s Social Media Manager Slips Up (2011)
Holden15 on Wikimedia Commons
A Chrysler employee accidentally tweeted from the company’s official account, complaining about “idiots” who don’t know how to drive in Detroit—complete with profanity.
8. HMV’s Intern Live-Tweets Mass Firings (2013)
Raysonho on Wikimedia Commons
During a round of layoffs, an HMV social media employee hijacked the company’s Twitter account. They live-tweeted about the “mass execution,” exposing chaos within the company.
9. American Apparel’s Tasteless 4th of July Post (2014)
Raysonho on Wikimedia Commons
The brand posted an image of fireworks on July 4th, except it was actually a photo of the 1986 Challenger explosion. After realizing their mistake, they blamed a young employee who “didn’t know” about the disaster.
10. Snapchat’s Rihanna Controversy (2018)
Thought Catalog on Pexels
Snapchat ran an ad for a game that asked users if they would rather “slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown.” Given their history, this was incredibly offensive.