13 Awkward Situations Caused By Social Media And Our Phones

A list of common awkward situations found in today’s technology dependent world.

1. Accidentally liking someone’s post from months ago.

Via berrien.migenweb.net

Scanning a new friend’s photos is something we’ve all done before, primarily (and hopefully) as a means to learn more about that person. The worst thing that could possibly happen to you during this time of creeping is accidentally liking one of their old pictures or posts. There is nothing more awkward than trying to explain to someone why you liked one of their posts from 2012, especially when you’ve only known them for two days.

2. Sending a text/picture to the wrong person.

Via thefunnyplanet.com

OOPS! Depending on what the message said and who it was accidentally sent to will determine your fate in this situation. This happens all too often in group chats and Snapchat. If this has ever happened to you, hope that it was a simple grocery list as opposed to the love note you sent to your significant other.

3. Relatives that comment on everything you are tagged in.

Via youtube.com

This one’s for you grandma. We all know that one family member who checks Facebook a dozen times each day, and refuses to let a post slip by without a ‘thoughtful’ comment. I fear getting tagged in a photo, primarily due to the fact that a comment from my grandmother is certain to appear within the hour. “Look at my beautiful grandson” and “Can’t wait to see you sugar” are a few examples of the awkward comments she finds to be so ‘thoughtful’. At least my friends find it amusing!

4. Using speakerphone in public.

Via forevertwentysomethings.com

Not only is this awkward but I find it to be rather annoying. I find that this habit has become particularly popular among the older generations, my parents included. While walking downtown last week, I overheard a woman having a conversation via speakerphone with whom I assumed to be her husband. Entirely against my will, the one statement I heard from the other end was, “Yeah, I passed another stone this morning.” I’m sure that I wasn’t the only person nearby that was disturbed (and perhaps a bit concerned?) to hear about her husband’s kidney stones. Speakerphones: Great if your hands are busy, horrible while in public.

5. Poor timing for a group chat to start.

Via memecrunch.com

Being a college student, this one happens far too often in my life. I have a habit of forgetting to put my cell phone on silent before taking a test, entering a meeting, or having an interview. Group chats have a tendency to “blow up” at the absolute worst times. I’ve sat through many tests and meetings while my phone buzzes nearly as fast as my newly racing heartbeat. This wouldn’t be quite so terrible if it wasn’t for everyone around me throwing dirty looks after each buzz.

6. Taking a selfie in public.

Via pinterest.com

This is one trend I simply refuse to partake in. Spend 10 minutes on a college campus and you’ll see more people taking selfies than holding a face-to-face conversation. As an example, while in class this past week, a girl sitting in front of me decided to give up note taking and instead pulled out her iPhone to begin sending selfies. Right before she took the first picture, I glanced down at her phone and happened to be captured in her selfie, staring awkwardly in the background. Not only was this awkward for her taking the picture, but also for me as an innocent bystander.

7. Autocorrect changing the meaning of a message.

Via memeguy.com

This one’s self-exploratory. Errr.. Explanatory! I’ve never been one to use autocorrect simply because of the awkward situations that can arise. If you are brave enough to use it, I would suggest waiting a second before sending your messages to avoid an awkward miscommunication such as “I don’t” changing to “idiot.”

8. Meeting someone online before in person.

Via imgflip.com

With social interaction is occurring more online now than not, it isn’t surprising that many people meet on social media sites. This process in itself can be awkward, but not nearly as awkward as seeing that person a few days later.

9. Having one of your personal messages posted on social media.

Via thefunniestpictures.com

Pick and choose very wisely when sending pictures/texts to friends. I guarantee you that your friend isn’t the only one who finds your embarrassing pictures funny. In a matter of seconds, the whole world can see just how many chins you can make by lodging your head into your neck. If you’ve been lucky enough to avoid having an embarrassing photo of yourself leaked onto the web, hope that the same can be avoided for personal texts as well.

10. Deleting/blocking someone.

Via fitmommydiaries.blogspot.com

We can’t be friends with everyone we meet. There are sure to be a few individuals that post content onto social media sites that drives you insane and thus results in a prompt block or deletion. While that is completely fine and common, you better hope they don’t confront you about it in person.

11. Poking someone on Facebook.

Via socialphy.com

The “poke” is quite possibly the most random and useless feature on Facebook. I’ve asked many people what the purpose of poking is and the answers range from “to flirt” to “simply to annoy the hell out of people.” Whether it’s a relative or complete stranger, I personally find poking to be extremely awkward.

12. Having an old username/password that you’re too lazy to change.

Via businessnewsdaily.com

This one haunts me to this day. For some reason, embarrassing usernames and passwords always appear to be a great idea at the time. Next thing you know, ten years have slipped by and your password is still “SkaterKid1995.” I’ve even been in situations where it made sense to give my friends the login credentials to my xbox live account, and you know it’s time to update information when the email is your mom’s and the password has “Skillz” in it. Yes that’s right, skills spelled with a “z”, obviously to show how cool I waz. Please feel free to comment any awkward and embarrassing usernames or passwords you have used in the past so the world knows that it isn’t just me.

13. The classic photobomb.

Via newyorker.com

To finish off this list of ways that our phones and social media have created awkward situations, let’s talk photobombing. Jumping into photos that you aren’t supposed to be in has recently been dubbed “photobombing”. Whether you’re the person acting like a monkey in the background or the person trying to take a nice family picture, the resulting photo is awkward for all, and the evidence will inevitably be there to haunt you for years to come.