The immense advantages of social media make it an irresistible tool for almost everyone. People use social media to keep in touch with loved ones, friends, or business associates. Some use social media for business purposes, such as amassing and engaging fans, showcasing products, finding love, and many more.
While social media can improve your life in so many ways, it can also lead to regrets if used the wrong way. Many people have stories to tell about how social media helped them succeed in business or relationships. Some people found a loving and caring partner through social media; others met friends or people who impacted their lives positively; and others, like businessmen, have made millions through the use of social media.
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On the other hand, a lot of people also have bad stories to tell about their experiences with social media. You must have already read our recently published post on ‘How Social Media is Ruining Your Life One Day at a Time‘ but if not, then click HERE to read.
Many victims of social media scandals suffer depression and loss of self-esteem due to the ensuing social and economic damage. Some had their lives almost completely ruined due to a social media scandal. We are going to learn the stories of 5 people whose social media ruined their social lives and careers.
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1. Cameron Jankowski
Cameron Jankowski was a 19-year-old resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 2012, Cameron caught wind of an online trend duped #PissOlympics. The trend encouraged people to urinate on items while they were at work. Also, Cameron went along with the idea and recorded a picture of himself appearing to urinate on a platter of Nachos Bell Grande. At the time he was working at Taco Bell. Cameron would later explain that. He didn’t feed the platter to anyone, and it was disposed of in the trash. This incident happened on Twitter.
Because Jackson’s Twitter account didn’t display a significant detail of his personal information, he probably thought the video could not be traced back to him. Little did he know that a group of anonymous hackers would track him down and post a video containing a lot of his personal information. And that was how Jackson’s identity was revealed.
That single caused Jackson to be sacked from Taco Bell. Not only that, he was also charged with violating food regression loss and was facing a possible jail term. Cameron tried to defend himself by saying you didn’t urinate on the nachos. He insisted that it was a watered-down Mountain Dew, and he went as far as taking a polygraph test as proof. He passed the test and managed to avoid being charged; however, the damage had already been done. She couldn’t find a job several months after that and regretted taking that action.
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2. Holly Jones
Social media is a place where a lot of people go to complain about things, particularly if it wronged them. Complaints can work to our disadvantage even if there is a genuine reason for that. Let alone when we have little or no knowledge about a situation we criticize. That was exactly what Holly Jones, a hairdresser in Indianapolis, did around 2:00 am on January 1st, 2016.
Chilling out at Kilroy’s Bar ‘N’ Grill in downtown Indianapolis with friends, Jones hadn’t the slightest idea an event that night would soon lead to her dismissal from work. They had drunk and eaten enough for the night, and they went to foot the $700 bill. But their tab had a problem, and they tried to get the staff to help with that. At the same time, someone at the bar was struggling with a heart attack. An ambulance was en route to pick her up.
Jones obviously couldn’t stand the sight of that woman having a heart attack, probably because the woman was making a scene or maybe was lying awkwardly. After paying the bill, Jones went to the bar’s Facebook page and ranted that their night was a flop because her friends were made to see a dead body being wheeled out of the bar. She considered this woman a junkie and criticized the management for letting the woman in.
Later, the manager replied to her criticism by saying the heart attack victim was a 50-year-old woman and that she had a heart attack. She didn’t die, and neither was she a junkie.
After the manager posted this message, there was a torrent of criticism against Jones. The incident was picked up by news outlets worldwide. Death threats were coming in, and Jones decided to deactivate her social media account. Her online critic started going after another Holly Jones who knew nothing about the incident. She too was receiving death threats until she had to change her profile picture to a message saying she wasn’t the Holly Jones who went to Kilroy’s.
The saloon where the original Holly Jones worked had their reviews tanked. They posted a message saying Jones was no longer an employee there and that they had donated $500 to the woman who had a heart attack.
There hasn’t been any news since then regarding whether or not Holly Jones was able to find employment again. With such broad media coverage, it would be tough for her to get a job anywhere in America.
3. Alicia Ann Lynch
Coming up with the perfect Halloween costume can be quite a challenge for many, especially those who want to overdo things a bit. Some people can’t resist the urge to pull mentally or sexually provocative acts for one reason or another, but mostly to get noticed. While a lot has benefited by growing their fan base or entertaining them in a big way, creepy actions have also led to the social, economic, and political demise of others who crossed the Creepy Lines. Alicia Ann Lynch, a 22-year-old resident of Michigan, was one such person who blew across the creepy line in her attempt to do something edgy and provocative, but which did not end well for her.
Halloween 2013 took place just six months after the Boston Marathon bombing. Alicia had dressed up for Halloween like a runner who had been a victim of the bombing. She posted pictures of her on Twitter and Instagram with the hashtags #boston #marathon #runner. The pictures showed she was hurt in the bombing.
The fireball of online Fury was almost immediate as people began to express their dismay at what she posted. She even received death threats, and so did her parents and one innocent stranger living in the same city who happened to share the same last name as Lynch. She disabled her account as soon as her Halloween costume pictures started to go viral. A blogger who was probably angered by her action managed to find nude pictures of Lynch on a secretive social media account and then publicized them.
Alicia later reactivated her social media account to ask that people stop harassing her parents and also apologized and explained that she had lost her job due to the incident.
What Alicia probably didn’t realize was that she was making fun of something very serious. Some people lost loved ones in the marathon bombing, and generally, people were sad after the incident. Her action was irresponsible and could be interpreted as glorifying a tragedy.
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4. Nicole Crowther
It is very difficult to be accepted in Show Business, but as social media has proved, it can also be very easy to ruin your career with a single Twitter. That was what happened to 21-year-old film student Nicole Trotter in 2011. She just managed to get in and was making progress by getting exported as an extra on a TV show called Glee. She played a role in the second season of the show.
In April of the same year, Nicole was at a dinner party with another extra who appeared in the twentieth episode of the show. That episode was duped “Prom Queen,” and she told Nicole a rumor about the episode. Crowther would later post a message on her Twitter account that read, “K is PQ and KA is PK.”.
The message went viral among Crowther’s 2000 or so followers on Twitter, among which are fans of the show, Glee. Although the message was cryptic, fans were able to discern that it meant Kurt Hummel, an openly gay character, would be voted prom queen, and David Karofsky, Kurt’s longtime bully, would be named prom king.
Nicole didn’t anticipate that her tweet would go viral, and even more, the damage it could do to the whole project. Gleeks around the world are very upset, as was co-creator and executive producer of the show, Brad Fulchuk. Fulchuck Posted a tweet that sealed Nicole’s career in show business. Nicole hasn’t worked in the entertainment industry since then.
5. Anthony Weiner
Anthony Weiner was first elected to Congress as a representative for New York in 1998 on the platform of the Democratic Party. He rose to national prominence in July 2010 after an impassioned speech on the House Floor in support of healthcare for 9/11 first responders.
Less than one year later, Winner tweeted a link to a picture with an erect penis from inside boxer shorts. The tweet was quickly taken down, most likely by him, but not before blogger Andrew Breitbart took notice. Breitbart later publicized the picture and said the link to the picture was posted on Weiner’s account.
Three days after the incident, Weiner reported that his account was hacked. but a week later he admitted the picture was of him and that he posted the link to send it privately to a 21-year-old woman in Seattle, Washington. He also admitted to having sexual conversations with six women on the internet within three years, during which time he married Huma Abedin, who was an adviser to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Weiner and Abedin were expecting their first child when the sex scandal happened. He was forced to resign; however, his wife stayed with him.
In 2013, he ran for mayor of New York City, but it was going to be an uphill battle for him. He had to overcome a sex scandal, which his political opponents were certain to take advantage of. That single sex scandal had nuked his political career for good. The once-popular winner of New York City ended up finishing fifth in the mayoral race.
All these victims of the social media scandal didn’t anticipate the consequences of their online social media activity. Social media ended up ruining their careers and humiliating them before millions.
Although social media ruined the lives of many, you can make social media a tool for your success if you learn how.
Watch this video on 15 High Rewarding Jobs for People Good with Social Media
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