30 Times People Thought They Could Trick Everyone But Got Nominated For “Didn’t Happen Of The Year Awards” Instead
InterviewLet’s face it—people lie. Sometimes, they’re able to get away with it quite easily, too. But when they start spreading exaggerated stories on social media, the truth eventually comes out. After all, there’s always someone ready to call them out on their BS.
Enter the Didn’t Happen to the Year Awards (DHOTYA), a Twitter account that exposes and shames the most conspicuous lies shared on the internet. Each year, the most unbelievable tall tales are picked out and pitted against each other, with their 339K followers voting for the biggest liars on social media.
From kids having intellectual moments on politics to people receiving a standing ovation after announcing their opinion, we have collected some of the best posts this account has to offer. Continue scrolling, upvote the finest “didn’t happen” incidents, and share your thoughts in the comments below!
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When you want everyone to know that you're an incel without saying that you're an incel.
Bored Panda reached out to Andrew Selepak, Ph.D., a program coordinator of Master’s in Social Media and a lecturer at the University of Florida, to learn more about why people tell such far-fetched stories online. “Most individuals, brands, and influencers don’t really lie on social media, but they tend to exaggerate,” he told us.
“Everyone engages in self-image manipulation on social media. We highlight and promote our best moments while leaving out the bad or mundane,” Selepak added. “But for the individual user, scrolling through their timeline, it appears that everyone is always doing something exciting whether it is [going] on vacation, getting engaged, or having a child.”
Selepak explained that social media allows more people to see the lies and exaggerations others post. “Before social media, a person could tell a lie to another and then the exact opposite lie to someone else, and it is possible no one would know. But you cannot do this on social media because everyone you know finds out at once.”
“If anything, social media may actually limit the amount of outright lying people do anymore because anything they say or post can be refuted by any and all of their followers rather than by one person,” the lecturer said. “Instead, we may perceive people are lying more, not because more lying is occurring on social media, but because we can monitor potential lies from hundreds if not thousands of people at once.”
He noted that the great thing about having the internet in our hands is that collectively, we can expose lies and those who spread them more than ever before. When it comes to spotting these dishonest posts, Selepak mentioned there are two different types: lies and exaggerations.
When it comes to the latter one, most of us tend to blow up the facts on social media: “We post about a meal at a restaurant to show people we are out and take pictures of the food framing it in such a way to make it look more appetizing, or a photo of the restaurant itself to make it look fancier than it is.”
“We could also post to social media about a job promotion and how excited we are while leaving out that we will be working longer hours and have to spend more time away from friends and family,” he continued. “Exaggerations on social media, for the most part, are harmless and act as life updates to our friends and followers.”
Lies on social media are different. Andrew Selepak noted that they can be intentional or unintentional. Like when we see a story criticizing a politician or sports team we don’t like, we will probably share it because we want it to be true: “We aren’t the originator of the lie, but we are spreading it because we didn’t do our due diligence to fact check it first.”
Yet, this is not as bad as being the creator of a lie. “Politicians, internet trolls, and influencers spread lies about issues like COVID-19, their political party or the opposition, or and other major political issues, to manipulate the public.” These posts are dangerous because such people have a greater reach and thus their lies can be further spread by individuals who want to believe it’s true.
“This is how fake news spreads,” Selepak explained. “But it can be difficult to combat fake news because as individuals we often don’t have reach as influencers. We can debunk and dispute lies, but not as many people will see it, and some might be more willing to believe the lie than the truth.”
Disputing fabrications publicly also rarely works because “you could be attacked for being partisan” or doubting something others wants to believe to be true. “And no one likes to be called out publicly for lying. Instead, it is better to send a direct message or speak to someone offline about lies they are spreading, present accurate information, and hope they will take down their post or at least be less willing to share lies in the future.”
We are all impacted by dishonesty on social media. “When people, and especially young girls, see the fake body images presented on social media as the norm and forget that what they see on social media is not real, it impacts how they see their body, the bodies of others, and what they idealize as the beauty standard,” the lecturer explained. “This is unhealthy and can lead to anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.”
While social media is full of dishonesty, “we cannot expect the platforms to remove all of this content, nor should we want them to. Social media should be a free speech space where ideas are debated and lies are publicly disputed,” Andrew Selepak said.
Dr. Cortney Warren told Bored Panda that when it comes to social media, people usually “lie by presenting an image of themselves and their lives that reflects what they wish were true.” A board-certified clinical psychologist, a nationally recognized expert in self-deception, and author of Lies We Tell Ourselves: The Psychology of Self-Deception thinks that the anonymity and lack of direct face-to-face interaction make it easier for people to pretend.
“You can essentially say whatever you want online—whether it’s objectively true or not—and not really have very serious consequences for it.” The professor of Psychiatry at the UNLV School of Medicine explained that this way people are “able to project an image or a statement without many of the nuances of non-verbal and interpersonal cues that indicate lying in person.”
if you gonna lie about your kid make it believable like something a 10 year old might actually say
She mentioned that in terms of spotting dishonesty, people should go into all online material with a critical thinking cap on. To evaluate whether a statement is true, people should ask questions. “First, consider the source—do they have a vested personal interest in presenting information a certain way? Then consider the perspective taken—are they able to articulate the other side of an argument? Also, look for self-deception. Are they in denial? Rationalizing? Projecting?”
“Although selective self-presentation and lying about ourselves on social media may not seem like a surprise (or even a big deal), it can affect us greatly,” Warren noted. “Humans are naturally social creatures—we crave relationships and social interaction. … We want to feel connected to people and “in the know” about our friends, family, and even celebrities. We crave connectedness. So, we want to interact with people and social media offers us one way to do that.”
We also tend to trust that others are being honest with us: “A large body of research suggests that we are programmed to trust others. Although the reasons for [this] are complex, without interpersonal connectedness and a fundamental belief that those around will support you, protect you, and treat you respectfully, we feel unsafe.”
So when people are dishonest on social media, it causes problems because we internally presume that what is presented is true. “That people are naturally as good-looking as their photos appear. … That people around us are in a habitual state of going on vacation, eating out, and parenting blissfully. This is clearly not true,” the psychologist explained.
“And although we are less aware of the realities of other people’s lives, we are well aware of the ways in which our own lives are NOT ideal,” Dr. Cortney Warren told us. When we compare ourselves with “the idealized images and unreasonably positive life accounts that tend to permeate social media, we are likely to feel more poorly about ourselves and our lives.”
As a New Zealander I say, dream on lady. We don't give a damn about you so get your head out of your a**e.
So Brexit happened because 10 year olds really wanted it. Makes sense....
We all lie—and on social media, this is rampant. “Often, people do it to try to project an image of what they wish were true. To make ourselves look more beautiful. Smarter. More successful. As though we have a more fun life!”
“Although lying to others is not something I would encourage you to do, the greater journey is to become fully honest with yourself,” Warren advised. “If you catch yourself in the act of lying, pause. Ask yourself why you are doing it. As you understand what’s motivating your lies, you can be more honest with yourself about who you want to be and how you want to act.”
The point is that there's 146 of those two-tone eggs (all sold in alu wrapper so indistinguishable), and if you find BUT NOT EAT them you can enter in a competition for £10K (so arguably, one is worth £68.5 if uneaten). They are sold only between Christmas and Easter.
The few corrupt and useless doctors are the ones that are saying that Covid is just a hoax.
Mein Gott, could this person be any more of a whiny little crybaby?
nobody told him it was against the rules he is the bloody prime minister he is the one that makes the f*****g rules what a k**b
I hope Charlie grows up learning how to spell and use English correctly.
If she paid at the first window; how did she pay for the other lady's food? Because the lady behind her hadn't time to placed her order yet.
I remember seeing this ages ago and she did actually paint it, it was some art class for kids that instructed them step by step, all the kids paintings turned out quite similar - kinda like a Bob Ross art class for rich kids. My 7yr old, however, draws poop and boobs instead
Wow and My almost 7 year old just sticks is feet in my face and yells 'smell my feet' 😂😂 where do people come up with this stuff??
This would've easily happened. I have had many Muslims wish me a merry Christmas and even exchanged gifts. It's common, Jesus is a prophet in Islam and respect for what others hold sacred is an important part of many, if not the majority of Muslims mindset. It really is the ignorant and absurd minorities in any faith that get all the press and therefore create all the problems.
If they were stealing them to order this could be true. Not that British ones have no value, but were not what was required at that moment.
So the son made to 10 because his mommy did his homework and daddy is bragging about what exactly?
Legally Blonde actually has very good representation of women. You just need to watch more than 10 minutes to get the message, as with all movies.
You know this is made up. Priti Patel doesn't mind season workers. /s
One of my friends had to change his name to Her. Herman was too offensive. ;)
Okay but this post was on something like “People of Reddit share their pandemic projects”, and I remember the vibe being distinctly proud then. Can we keep it a bit consistent, please?
us brits don't really discuss politics the odd person might mention something but we dont really discuss it that much
Yeah so his ma may not be around for the aftermath to materialize but this dude certainly will be.
Clearly they've never actually seen a clock. They're not all connected to the internet. Some people like it that way, for aesthetic's sake, because it's not dependant on the power lines, or for a ton of other reasons. If no one turned their clocks back since 2007, my grandad would be out of his job (watch and antique clock repair.)
This lady reminds me of those people who always judge my mother for getting a lot of food from stores. She has 10 kids living at home, y'all. And we eat a LOT. Not me, particularly, but one of my brothers can shovel down food like nobody's business.
It's not that unbelievable that even a child would weep as memorial of the day an outgoing President tried to hold on to power through violence and succeeded in having the first enemy national flag ever fly inside the White House...
From what I've been seeing it doesn't matter if they are Republican or Democrat, they all are fighting each other with no intent to solve any issue.
I mean, the OP is a US Senator, so the kid hears about this stuff a lot.
It wouldn't surprise me if this actually has happened. People from outside of UK may not realise that, unfortunately, the St George's cross is also associated with some organisations with extreme views that most certainly don't reflect the sentiments of the vast majority of English people
My kid was noticing and commenting on the lack of female inclusion in kids' movies before age 10. Obviously, the quote here is what's fake - kids don't talk like that.
TIL that all Tories lie and sexually assault women in public. And then other Tories cheer.
This list is difficult to read. I feel more angry the more I read. Respect to all who finish it.
Yeah, I got pretty pissed off by some of these as well. I have a 6-months-old baby who can't get vaccinated yet and I absolutely bloody HATE antivaxxers with everything I got. My child, who has no choice in the matter, may die because some selfish idiot chose not to get the jab.
Load More Replies...I'd had enough bullshite by the time I got to the 20s. If you believe any of these are true, I know a used car salesman who'd love to meet you.
The lame fanfiction I used to write when I was a teenager was more believable than this.
I thought these were just people joking, then by the comments realise we are expected to believe them. Are people really that dim?
Everyone wants to feel special. They'll do whatever they need to for other's approval or to give themselves a little bit of superiority even if it's completely false.
My 6 year old niece flew to Poland to cross the boarder and fight for Ukraine. She said she would rather die for freedom than live in an oligarch's world. She learned to fly in 2 days and is the actual Ghost of Kyiv. She sent me a text while she was flying to remind me I need to buy dog food before it runs out. I announced this to a random room I was in and everyone erupted in applause!
I couldn't keep going. This is clearly fabricated to support the mask agenda. Where are all the fake posts made by those who wear masks? You won't see them because they don't want to admit there are idiots on both sides, just the side they don't agree with. Perfect example of propaganda.
I feel that the best way to counter this is just to ignore such tweets/posts/comments, since these articles live off on attention and controversy. Once they realise that these posts have no effects, perhaps they will eventually decrease.
Another clown world article mocking anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. Ever think that "they" did their research and use common sense. Keep on believing what is told to you by the circus otherwise known as media. Whatever happened to real journalism!?!
What happened to believing science and facts? Just because you didn't get sick doesn't make Covid fake and if masks don't work why do surgeons wear them when they operate? Anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers deserve to be mocked they're the reason we are going on year two of this crap.
Load More Replies...Interesting how so many of these are from anti-vaxxers or anti-mask... Just saying!
I'm once again reminded that antimaskers/antivaxxers are scum of the earth, and that it's perfectly okay to despise them.
Of course they are when you eat up all that liberal propaganda. Yum.
Load More Replies...About 95% of these are total garbage, but a handful of these could have happened. Some just need more context. I've had some stuff happen that NOBODY would believe if I put it on Socmed.
The vaccine makes you dumber!!! Don't take it of you want to keep all common sense!!!... /j
Why do these idiots always talk about their toddler children saying things that obviously never happened? Post after post has been almost nothing but that.
Notice all the hate is being spread by Liberal vax-holes. Not one hateful comment from a Republican or an anti-vaxxer. Whose the one REALLY spreading hate?
I find this debate about CoNvid to be laughable. The very first thing published about it was the paper that described it as "...a more virulent strain of influenza...". The very first thing people do...run to the store and buy up all the bottled water, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. This makes me a firm believer in the Wizard's First Rule... People are stupid.
This list is difficult to read. I feel more angry the more I read. Respect to all who finish it.
Yeah, I got pretty pissed off by some of these as well. I have a 6-months-old baby who can't get vaccinated yet and I absolutely bloody HATE antivaxxers with everything I got. My child, who has no choice in the matter, may die because some selfish idiot chose not to get the jab.
Load More Replies...I'd had enough bullshite by the time I got to the 20s. If you believe any of these are true, I know a used car salesman who'd love to meet you.
The lame fanfiction I used to write when I was a teenager was more believable than this.
I thought these were just people joking, then by the comments realise we are expected to believe them. Are people really that dim?
Everyone wants to feel special. They'll do whatever they need to for other's approval or to give themselves a little bit of superiority even if it's completely false.
My 6 year old niece flew to Poland to cross the boarder and fight for Ukraine. She said she would rather die for freedom than live in an oligarch's world. She learned to fly in 2 days and is the actual Ghost of Kyiv. She sent me a text while she was flying to remind me I need to buy dog food before it runs out. I announced this to a random room I was in and everyone erupted in applause!
I couldn't keep going. This is clearly fabricated to support the mask agenda. Where are all the fake posts made by those who wear masks? You won't see them because they don't want to admit there are idiots on both sides, just the side they don't agree with. Perfect example of propaganda.
I feel that the best way to counter this is just to ignore such tweets/posts/comments, since these articles live off on attention and controversy. Once they realise that these posts have no effects, perhaps they will eventually decrease.
Another clown world article mocking anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. Ever think that "they" did their research and use common sense. Keep on believing what is told to you by the circus otherwise known as media. Whatever happened to real journalism!?!
What happened to believing science and facts? Just because you didn't get sick doesn't make Covid fake and if masks don't work why do surgeons wear them when they operate? Anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers deserve to be mocked they're the reason we are going on year two of this crap.
Load More Replies...Interesting how so many of these are from anti-vaxxers or anti-mask... Just saying!
I'm once again reminded that antimaskers/antivaxxers are scum of the earth, and that it's perfectly okay to despise them.
Of course they are when you eat up all that liberal propaganda. Yum.
Load More Replies...About 95% of these are total garbage, but a handful of these could have happened. Some just need more context. I've had some stuff happen that NOBODY would believe if I put it on Socmed.
The vaccine makes you dumber!!! Don't take it of you want to keep all common sense!!!... /j
Why do these idiots always talk about their toddler children saying things that obviously never happened? Post after post has been almost nothing but that.
Notice all the hate is being spread by Liberal vax-holes. Not one hateful comment from a Republican or an anti-vaxxer. Whose the one REALLY spreading hate?
I find this debate about CoNvid to be laughable. The very first thing published about it was the paper that described it as "...a more virulent strain of influenza...". The very first thing people do...run to the store and buy up all the bottled water, toilet paper, and hand sanitizer. This makes me a firm believer in the Wizard's First Rule... People are stupid.