The 18 Biggest Social Media Fails Of 2013

There have been a lot of them this year. Trust me.

1. The person who tweeted this announcement when the Royal Baby was born.

Twitter: @Sunxrae

ID: 2127095

2. Whoever thought it would be a great idea to use the Royal Baby birth to flog a Samsung Galaxy.

facebook.com / Via facebook.com

ID: 2126454

And some coffee.

And then there were three. Congratulations!

— Starbucks UK (@StarbucksUK)

Starbucks UK

@StarbucksUK

And then there were three. Congratulations!

/ Via

ID: 2133897

And some pizza.

Introducing our very own royal #bundleofjoy: free side or dessert to any medium or large pizza through 7/25. Code: ROYALOFFER

— Pizza Hut (@pizzahut)

Pizza Hut

@pizzahut

Introducing our very own royal #bundleofjoy: free side or dessert to any medium or large pizza through 7/25. Code: ROYALOFFER

/ Via

ID: 2133894

And some toilet roll.

Get the throne ready! There's a new cub in the Royal family. #RoyalBaby

— Charmin (@Charmin)

Charmin

@Charmin

Get the throne ready! There’s a new cub in the Royal family. #RoyalBaby

/ Via

ID: 2133891

3. Whoever thought this Facebook poll would be a good idea.

Twitter: @peachesanscream

ID: 2126434

4. Whoever thought up this stimulating content for their Facebook fans.

facebook.com

The hobnob won by the way.

ID: 2126428

5. Whoever thought that doing a ‘promoted tweet’ campaign about immigration would be a good idea.

Twitter: @daily_express / Via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

ID: 2126848

6. And the person who fact-checked this tweet.

Twitter: @digitim

ID: 2126875

7. This wasn’t a good idea by the Home Office…

Twitter: @ukhomeoffice

ID: 2126960

Because it was likely to offend quite a few people.

Good lord, that @ukhomeoffice feed requires a punch in the face.

— Justin Lewis (@Mumbler3)

Justin Lewis

@Mumbler3

Good lord, that @ukhomeoffice feed requires a punch in the face.

/ Via

ID: 2126973

Hey @ukhomeoffice why not make your tweet-a-long-a-stormtroop gallery of brown folk thrown in vans even more dystopian by using cattleprods?

— Charlie Brooker (@charltonbrooker)

Charlie Brooker

@charltonbrooker

Hey @ukhomeoffice why not make your tweet-a-long-a-stormtroop gallery of brown folk thrown in vans even more dystopian by using cattleprods?

/ Via

ID: 2126976

Although it did lead to quite a few good parodies.

Twitter: @utterben / Via Twitter: @RicksterScale

ID: 2126969

8. This tweet didn’t go down well either.

Twitter: @himwiththecyst

GIVE US A RETWEET OR CHILDREN WILL GO HUNGRY,

ID: 2126384

It really didn’t go down well.

@KelloggsUK sick bastards, if you have the capability to feed vulnerable children then do so. This is sickening.

— Perry (@AdamDanielPerry)

Perry

@AdamDanielPerry

@KelloggsUK sick bastards, if you have the capability to feed vulnerable children then do so. This is sickening.

/ Via

ID: 2126466

Snap, Crackle and Pop. That's the sound of the @KelloggsUK social media manager's bones being rearranged by their boss this morning.

— cluedont (@cluedont)

cluedont

@cluedont

Snap, Crackle and Pop. That’s the sound of the @KelloggsUK social media manager’s bones being rearranged by their boss this morning.

/ Via

ID: 2127153

Then there was the time that the Head Chef took over the Twitter feed of a pub he was just fired from.

Happy Christmas everyone

— The Plough (@ploughpub)

The Plough

@ploughpub

Happy Christmas everyone

/ Via

ID: 2151164

We'd like to inform you that we've just fired our head chef.

— The Plough (@ploughpub)

The Plough

@ploughpub

We’d like to inform you that we’ve just fired our head chef.

/ Via

ID: 2151167

Unfortunately he wanted to have a weekend off this month and Christmas Day this year for family commitments so we thought we'd sack him

— The Plough (@ploughpub)

The Plough

@ploughpub

Unfortunately he wanted to have a weekend off this month and Christmas Day this year for family commitments so we thought we’d sack him

/ Via

ID: 2151170

Yeah a week before Christmas!

— The Plough (@ploughpub)

The Plough

@ploughpub

Yeah a week before Christmas!

/ Via

ID: 2151171

We don't care that he has a 7 1/2 month old baby daughter.

— The Plough (@ploughpub)

The Plough

@ploughpub

We don’t care that he has a 7 1/2 month old baby daughter.

/ Via

ID: 2151173

So anyway come on down and continue to pay a premium for Australian sirloins, New Zealand lamb and everything else that is bought from asda.

— The Plough (@ploughpub)

The Plough

@ploughpub

So anyway come on down and continue to pay a premium for Australian sirloins, New Zealand lamb and everything else that is bought from asda.

/ Via

ID: 2151175

9. Then there’s the time that HMV had a meltdown.

Peter Macdiarmid / Getty Images / Via Twitter: @xGogsx

ID: 2126163

10. An award goes to the person who thought of the Benadryl Social Pollen Count, which allowed users to mark on a map where they had sneezed.

benadryl.co.uk / Via vicchi.org

ID: 2126519

Why? Well because a lot of people on social media got word of this and started to make their own maps. Like this one.

Twitter: @UsVsTh3m

ID: 2126507

And this one.

socialslurp.co.uk

ID: 2126514

11. British Gas announced that they were raising prices by 9.2%. A few days later they did this.

Twitter: @BritishGas

ID: 2126336

Their social media manager got ready.

Twitter: @britishgas

ID: 2133863

But then it all went a little bit wrong.

Can't see this going horribly wrong! < @BritishGas: Customer Services Director Q&A about price rise at 1-2pm. Tweet questions to #AskBG

— tom jamieson (@jamiesont)

tom jamieson

@jamiesont

Can’t see this going horribly wrong! < @BritishGas: Customer Services Director Q&A about price rise at 1-2pm. Tweet questions to #AskBG

/ Via

ID: 2126272

British Gas social media team arrive for Twitter Q&A #AskBG

— Stephen Hull (@stephenbhull)

Stephen Hull

@stephenbhull

British Gas social media team arrive for Twitter Q&A #AskBG

/ Via

ID: 2133866

#AskBG would it be ok to burn the corpses of your board of directors when I can't afford heating?

— Matt Kelly (@Matt_Dot_Com)

Matt Kelly

@Matt_Dot_Com

#AskBG would it be ok to burn the corpses of your board of directors when I can’t afford heating?

/ Via

ID: 2126275

#AskBG My office has a window where the sun comes in and makes the side of my head really hot. How much do I owe you?

— Dean Burnett (@garwboy)

Dean Burnett

@garwboy

#AskBG My office has a window where the sun comes in and makes the side of my head really hot. How much do I owe you?

/ Via

ID: 2126279

#AskBG Have you considered changing your corporate slogan to something a bit more honest?

— Lisa (@BiscuitAhoy)

Lisa

@BiscuitAhoy

#AskBG Have you considered changing your corporate slogan to something a bit more honest?

/ Via

ID: 2126322

12. Remember when Sky News broke this story?

Twitter: @skynewsbreak / Via Twitter: @daveharte

ID: 2126092

Colin then trended.

Twitter: @ColMayers

ID: 2126267

Some people got very confused by this incident.

Pretty sure coming back from lunch I walked through a portal into a parallel universe where you've all gone mental & can't stop saying Colin

— B to A to the R R Y (@QuantumPirate)

B to A to the R R Y

@QuantumPirate

Pretty sure coming back from lunch I walked through a portal into a parallel universe where you’ve all gone mental & can’t stop saying Colin

/ Via

ID: 2126186

People took the piss.

And now, an important update from the Sky News channel! #obviousgag #bandwagon #colinwashere

— Tom Scott (@tomscott)

Tom Scott

@tomscott

And now, an important update from the Sky News channel! #obviousgag #bandwagon #colinwashere

/ Via

ID: 2126098

But it wasn’t a Syrian Cyber Attack or anything of the sort. This was the reason behind it.

Twitter: @helly_vix

ID: 2126183

13. Remember the horsemeat scandal, during which Tesco famously tweeted..?

twitter.fcom / Via Twitter: @kate_day

ID: 2126082

Well this happened soon after.

Twitter: @TheMediaTweets

ID: 2127121

14. But brands weren’t the only failures. All of those on Twitter who confused EDF Energy with EDL, the far-right movement, should get some blame too.

Twitter: @TheDanSanderson

ID: 2126716

15. So should all the people who constantly confuse @WHSmith with @WHSmithcouk with their complaints.

Twitter: @whsmith

ID: 2126688

16. So should all of the people who keep mixing up @JohnLewis with @JohnLewisRetail.

Twitter: @johnlewis / Via s3-ec.buzzfed.com

<3 you John Lewis.

ID: 2127867

17. And then there are the people who constantly ask Radio 4 and similar stations to play commercial pop.

Twitter: @themediatweets / Via Twitter: @bbcradio4

ID: 2126983

Twitter: @ollieinlondon

ID: 2127027

ID: 2127885

STOP. IT.

Twitter: @BBCRadio3

ID: 2126993