As were all probably aware by now, once something is posted online, thats it - its out there in the public sphere forever and no matter how much you want to take it back, you just cant. However, people are still managing to put their foot in it as recently it seems that there has been an increase in the amount of online gaffes. Invariably, the person at the centre of scandal becomes the object serious fire online - sometimes receiving hateful, anonymous abuse and even death threats. Here are some of the worst internet controversies of recent months. 1. ‘The Auschwitz Selfie’ ‘Auschwitz Selfie’ - there are two words that really shouldn’t go together but this week they have been bandied around thanks to Breanna Mitchell, a recent high school graduate. She has suffered widespread internet backlash after she tweeted a photo of herself smiling - at the Auschwitz concentration camp. She posted the selfie complete with a smiley face emoticon on June 20th and, a month later, it went viral - sparking outrage among Twitter users over her seemingly cheerful attitude at the World War II Nazi concentration camp. The photo was retweeted thousands of times before Breanna made her Twitter profile private. But Breanna who has the Twitter handle @PrincessBMM was fairly unapologetic about the whole thing, tweeting: “Omg I wish people would quit tweeting to, quoting, retweeting, and favoriting my picture of my smiling in Auschwitz Concentration Camp.“Like apparently is such a big deal that I smiled. Good Lord.” Mitchell says she took the photo in memory of her father who passed away last year, saying they had studied the Holocaust together. “The trip actually meant something to me and I was happy about it,” she tweeted. While she had her supporters, the incident has generated a huge amount of hate for Breanna. 2. Air Rage This is one of those infamous incidents that will live on for a very long time. It perfectly showcased the worst things about the internet - the hateful comments, the hurtful humour and the fact that once something is posted online, it will haunt you forever - even ruining your life. On December 20th, Justine Sacco, a top PR executive for InterActiveCorp, New York media conglomerate, sent out this tweet before boarding her flight from London to South Africa. While she thought she was being funny, Twitter was NOT laughing and while she was in the air - without an internet connection - all hell broke loose. Some thought her account had been hacked but until she landed no one knew for sure. While she was still in the air, her employers issued a pre-emptive statement. “This is an outrageous, offensive comment that does not reflect the views and values of IAC,” the company said. This is a very serious matter and we are taking appropriate action.” The hashtag #HasJustineLandedYet began trending as Twitter waited - with not just a little glee - for her to land in Cape Town and discover the massive s**tstorm she had created for herself. To cut a long story short, when Justine landed she deleted the tweet and then her entire account. She was lost her job. And she issued a public apology. Words can not express how sorry I am, and how necessary it is for me to apologize to the people of South Africa, who I have offended due to a needless and careless tweet.” American Pie star puts his foot in his mouth When will people learn that tweeting jokes about disasters is likely to be considered in poor taste? Especially when you’re in the public eye. Actor Jason biggs learned that the hard way when he decided that - in the wake of the Ukrainian plane crash where 295 people perished - what was needed was a good old joke. To, you know, lighten the atmosphere. So he tweeted this: Shakes head. It wasnt even funny. Needless to say, people were NOT happy with him. You can read more about that particular story here. But Jason wasn’t the only person to land themselves in hot water after making light of the Malaysian Airlines tragedy - some wrestling stars also received criticism. While WWE is known for its pantomime villains, one of its female stars provoked online rage after a speech in which she asked “ Do you blame Russia for current events? was taken as referencing the MH17 crash. In fact, you Americans should be scolded for your warmongering in Afghanistan and Iraq. You Americans should be insulted and afraid, screamed Lana, in an attempt to amp up the crowd. Tonight we dedicate this match to the most powerful man in the world. Tonight we dedicate this match to the man that makes fools out of all of you Americans, However, a spokesperson for the WWE claims that the comments were not directed at the tragedy but are part of Lanas regular act as a anti-American Russian/ That may be but it didn’t stop Twitter giving out about it. 4. Girl Gone Wild Last month, seventeen-year old Axelle Despiegelaere made headlines when she was photographed at a World Cup match. After the pictures went viral, the Belgian teenager was dubbed ‘the most beautiful supporter in the world’ and even landed a modelling contract with LOréal. While Axelle did star in a ‘hair tutorial’ video for the cosmetics giant, they soon cut ties with her, saying her ‘contract had been completed’. This announcement came after some photos of Axelle began circulating online, showing her posing next to a dead animal while hunting in Africa. While LOreal said they were aware of the photo, they would not comment on whether this influenced their decision to drop Axelle. They were however keen to stress that LOréal no longer tests on animals, anywhere in the world, and does not delegate this task to others. Timing is everything… It just goes to show that it is so important to monitor what you put online. Especially if you’re going to put up photos of yourself posting next to the animals you’ve just killed. The internet really doesn’t like that. 5. Adios, amigos It’s not just individuals that have found themselves the centre of internet ire. Dutch airline KLM was forced to apologise for a tweet posted after Hollands 2-1 win over Mexico during the World Cup. The tweet, sent from their official account just minutes after a controversial penalty gave the Dutch team the win, featured the words Adios Amigos along with an image of an airport departures sign, featuring a man wearing a sombrero. After a whole load of criticism, the airline deleted the tweet and apologised. Gone but not forgotten. You can read more about that particular incident here So there you have it. The internet can be a very unforgiving place so please, think before you tweet everyone - and remember, youre probably not as funny as you think you are.
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 07:06:27 +0000
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