Did you know that you can say practically anything you want online? Unfortunately, some people do exactly that. Fortunately for us, they are pretty bad liars, so when we see through their obviously farcical stories, the results can be hilarious and cringeworthy. That’s exactly the type of cringe post that Totally True Story on Instagram collects.
Some people may be trying to boost their egos by fishing for likes and compliments online. Others may be trying to get ahead or even scam readers by weaving elaborate tales.
Common sense is a useful sense to hone, especially when you spend time online. These funny little fabrications tend to be about as harmless as it gets. Your common sense can also help you see through dangerous scams, fake news campaigns, and other trickery that runs rampant in the Wild West of the Web.
To play the devil’s advocate, it could also be (however unlikely) that some of these stories are, in fact, true. Are there any where you think the internet got it wrong? Let us know in the comments below each pic!
This post may include affiliate links.
This has done the rounds so many times with the airline changed each time
Possible. I’ve done games instead of grammar when my class wasn’t feeling it that day. Language related games, sure, but still.
this one's just funny, pretty sure it's not begging for attention or anything
Do you think these stories are nonsense or do you think they might be true? This post is a great opportunity to hone your common sense and "BS radar" to see whether you can see through sketchy online stories. But do you think that being online makes people lie more or less?
On the one hand, anonymity and distance may provide cover for people to feel like they can get away with more. On the other, the potential for your message to be seen by hundreds or even millions means you're much more likely to be held accountable. It turns out that that's exactly what the experts say - it depends.
How f*****g ripped must op be. Each of her individual muscles must be bigger than my head (if she was real ofc)
Honestly, believable. My sister worked at a fast food place, and this guy rolled up with a condom on his head and wouldn't accept his food till he was called daddy. Ya'll they were 16- 20 years, he had to have been 60. They banned his card so he couldn't order again.
Much like with real-world relationships, our willingness to lie depends greatly on our environment and our relationship with the people we're talking to. "We find that communication in the inside world tends to be more honest online, and this is in part because those messages are recorded and come from people that we will have future interactions with. We don’t want a reputation as a liar, and it’s easier in some ways to get caught in a lie online (just ask any politician caught in a scandal in the last decade)," Jeff Hancock, a professor of communication, told Stanford magazine.
So why is it that we sometimes feel like it's easier to tell fibs on the internet? Well, for one, there's the fake news we can sometimes be bombarded with, which will shake our trust in the information we see online. But how about when we read something from individuals instead of news sources?
This one could be true, I did a little digging and his dad is a dentist
Hancock explained when people might be more likely to lie online: "Communication from the outside world, however, is from sources that we’re unlikely to engage with again, and so there are little to no reputation costs for people to lie online. These lies include sock puppets [false identities], follower factories, purchased likes, propaganda bots and fake news. So, the degree to which we can trust messages online is really the degree to which you know the source."
I’ve reached the point where hearing “you’re a nerd who’s obsessed with studying” doesn’t sound like a bad thing.
What happened to the days when you started by trading a thumb tack for an elastic band and kept trading all the way up to a house with a swimming pool?
I would like to thank you for not referring to the baby boomer as "Karen". That is my given name and cringe every time I see a video or read a story naming the jerk of the story "Karen". Kudos for tipping the teen, I am sure it made their day and in turn ruining it for the bully boomer.
I can actually believe this...after some of the things my son has gotten into trouble for saying at school....
However, it all comes back to the motivations guiding the person behind the screen. Use your common sense - if it's too good to be true, it probably is. It is then quite likely that someone's trying to pull a fast one over you or, at the very least, boost their own ego.
Hancock explains: "It’s easy to forget, but (most) people lie for a reason, and simply because a person is using a phone or a computer or a tablet to communicate doesn’t make them more or less likely to lie. Instead, it’s all about goals and motivations."
The whole “the British are coming!” thing makes no sense. If he had yelled that, the response “we’re already here” would actually have been pretty good, since most of them still saw themselves as British at that point.
But the money saved there goes to ER bills. We were on a hike with Mom and blind step-Dad. There was a tree branch sticking out that slanted up close to a 90°angle. Mom was under the higher side. Not needing to duck for herself, she was so distracted by the scenery she didn't think to move over or have him duck. Whack, dead center into the branch. It does give us a good laugh now, though (wasn't seriously hurt, thank goodness).
I feel like this is only unrealistic to introverts lmao. This is relatively normal extrovert behavior, at least to me. I would totally flirt with someone by asking them to teach me how to make pancakes.
It's okay, though, because Anonymous is obviously a serial killer and uses the dog to lure unsuspecting young men into her suburban home of death. True story.
this happened I was the security guard 💯💯 edit: omg this comment blew up I'm crying laughing at the replies
Speaking of being allergic to things... Just two weeks ago I found out I'm allergic to ants(just like my mom). I looked like a fricking balloon. It took two days for the swelling to go down and I was still left with the itchy bug bite. Yuck. It is literally the only thing I know that I'm allergic to.
This could be true too. I've read a lot of fanfiction and some of them are my emotional support stories I go back to every once in a while
I need to look this up. Was it all of the Caribbean or "just" Puerto Rico? Also given PR's government corruption and who was president of USA, I don't doubt that quite a bit is still not fixed
The most unbelievable part about this story is the beginning. You see, I work in a car parts, repair and service store and I know for a fact that not all batteries are the same. If I had to guess a tractor battery is pretty big and beefy and it would certainly not fit into most cars, but what's even worse is that it probably doesn't even have the right voltage! All car batteries are different, you put one in that is too low or too high in voltage, that'll f**k up your car
Of course she looked happy. A mob full of people were literally falling for her - no more embarrassment, she must’ve assumed she was dreaming.
Note: this post originally had 70 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
I'm renaming this article: Silly and amusing tumblr stories to pass your time
Yes some of these are probably fake. But I dont understand the mentality of ppl online that if something has never happened to you, OBVIOUSLY it could NEVER happen to somebody else. Weird and funny things happen all the time. One time I was in a house the day someone died there. The coroner's ring tone went off. It was Don't Fear the Reaper. It was morbidly hilarious. You probably don't believe me.
Like your story btw. Don't know if it's true but I love it so I'm chosing to believe it, simple 😜
Load More Replies... I'm renaming this article: Silly and amusing tumblr stories to pass your time
Yes some of these are probably fake. But I dont understand the mentality of ppl online that if something has never happened to you, OBVIOUSLY it could NEVER happen to somebody else. Weird and funny things happen all the time. One time I was in a house the day someone died there. The coroner's ring tone went off. It was Don't Fear the Reaper. It was morbidly hilarious. You probably don't believe me.
Like your story btw. Don't know if it's true but I love it so I'm chosing to believe it, simple 😜
Load More Replies...