the internets

There is something about internet anonymity that really allows people to feel comfortable bending the truth or even flat out, blatantly lying. There are also people who feel totally fine fibbing to the friends and family on their timeline. Why? Well, some people do it to make a political or societal point. Or to express that they have some kind of experience with pain or strife. You know the type of situation or person. Rachel Dolezal. People who pretend to have been denied or given bad service because they were white or don't believe in vaccinations or disease-preventing masks. 

Other people weave their flourish-y creative tales for attention or pity. They dream up fake cancer diagnoses for sympathy and con friends, family, and strangers in order to rake in the crowdfunding money. Some of them create a sob story so that people will talk to them on sites like Reddit or Twitter.

Then there are the attention-hungry individuals who are looking for clout. They write up detailed sagas to mine Reddit karma, which will in turn allow them to post their lies freely all over the website. Or they want their tweet to go viral. And then there are the wannabe tough guys who regale the internet with fictitious heroics or even more false tales that evoke the classic "I have a girlfriend but she goes to another school" trope. 

You'll find that most of these types are represented in this lengthy list of creative storytellers. While we do wish that people would just, you know, not lie on the internet, at least there are places like r/thatHappened where we can laugh at their foolish attempts. 

Do you ever wonder what people did before they could look to the internet for the answers to all their bizarre and potentially embarrassing questions? There was no Google search. There was no Yahoo! Answers to turn to when you thought you might be pregnant. There were no strangers on Quora, ready to answer all your cringey relationship questions. Many of the answers to citizens burning questions were probably not in the encyclopedia, farmer's almanac, or an atlas. Instead, these queries could possibly be satisfied with a time-consuming visit to the library. But usually, at least in the era of telephones, information-hungry individuals would simply call the closes thing they had to an oracle: their local librarian. 

As internet-savvy millennials, it's embarrassing to admit that we can't remember the last time we actually set foot in a physical library. Gone are the days of needing to borrow the computer to do research for school, or sneak some time on Neopets or Livejournal. And while the pandemic is definitely preventing some people from getting their book-borrowing on, library usership was already experiencing a very steady decline. According to data from the IMLS (Institute for Museum and Library Services), people in the United States only visit a library 4.1 times a year. Even more sobering? Physical library visits declined by 3% each year from 2012 to 2019. It's starting to feel like libraries, despite their transition to a virtual existence, are sadly becoming obsolete. 

If you rewind as far back as the 1940's, libraries played a much consistently important role in the lives of Americans. And as we mentioned earlier, librarians were the go-to people for questions that people couldn't easily answer. We're sure that current librarians are happy to be free of this pressure. While the Internet has definitely helped ease the responsibility of library workers, their jobs, thanks to some intel from the New York Public Library, have become a lot less hilarious. A few years back, the New York institution began publishing all the crazy questions on Twitter with the hashtag #letmelibrarianthereforyou. The queries are painstakingly transcribed on index cards (remember those?) both by hand and with the assistance of a typewriter. While some of the topics are wholesome and kind of seem like they're asked by an inquisitive five year old, many are hilariously unhinged - just like the questions you might find on the aforementioned Yahoo! Answers. This gallery boasts some of the best and craziest questions, but you can find a whole lot more if you follow this link or search the hashtag yourself. We think you'll come out of it with a newfound respect for those who work in library sciences. 

The thing about being online is that you can be whoever you want to be and say anything your cute little imagination conjures up. However, there are consequences to blatantly lying, like getting publicly called out by people who do a bit of research, or ending up on subreddit like r/thathappened. Sometimes the highly sus anecdotes that people spew all over social media are not totally implausible, but they still have that air of cringiness about them that just screams 'fake.' We've got a bunch of examples of absurd stories that may or may not be total bullsh*t. 

While we're in quarantine very few of us will be able to serve up that IRL comeback heat. But because we're suckers for seeing people roasted and toasted, we've collected some burns and comebacks that were served up on the internet. We're gonna be here for a while, why not enjoy some quality roasts while we're at it? 

If you've ever felt disconcerted by the way technology/AI have interfered in our lives, you're not alone. Twitter account @internetofshit is basically dedicated to waking people up to the fact that tech is ruining our lives in the most capitalistic ways possible. Let's all find new ways to do necessary life things and charge people a premium for it. What the heck is the world coming to?

Every now and then I'll be walking around, minding my own business, going about my boring life, when someone does something so overwhelmingly stupid I need at least a few minutes to recover. It's so easy to forget that we share the world with stupid people. These moments and photos are a reminder that you should never give people too much credit. They'll disappoint you.

The internet is a magical place that allows us to spend our hard earned money without even leaving our homes. Hell, we can shop for dumb sh*t while we're on our way to our sad jobs. Sometimes, however, whether due to drunk shopping or screwed up internet retailers, us money-spenders end up getting a lot less than we bargained for - or more, if you're looking at these blunders from a comedic standpoint. 

As much as we like to avoid cringey and crazy people in real life, they sure do provide us with plenty of entertainment on the internet. From woefully bad political takes to godawful corny memes, these examples of cringe are sure to leave you with a lot of questions.

Ever wish there was a Facebook-type site where you can connect with and kvetch about your neighbors? We'd like to introduce you to Nextdoor.  The social networking site focuses on specific neighborhoods, and thanks to Best Of Nextdoor, you can enjoy the insane complaints, brilliant non-sequiturs, and internet-challenged antics of the elderly - all without having to sign up for a site that's predictably filled with Karens and other narcs. We've included some examples of their latest and greatest, but you can find a whole lot more on Twitter. Happy scrolling and eye-rolling!

You don't have to be a technological genius to appreciate these memes. From nerdy programming humor to relatable everyday technology tidbits, this gallery has got something for every level of computer geek. While they won't necessarily make you smarter, these memes will definitely help you pass the time. 

Disney freaks and Tumblr nerds, rejoice! These amusing tidbits combine our favorite animated movies with some of the funniest and weirdest people on the internet. 

As millennials on the older side of the generation, we were actually lucky to have experienced life before the internet was used for everything. It's definitely built character and probably lent us a little extra resourcefulness. Sometimes we feel like our grandparents talking about walking a mile in the snow to school when we talk about the days before smartphones, and this little text exchange between a post-millennial and an older, wiser person will show you exactly why. 

We're well aware of the internet's myriad uses and benefits. We're able to keep in touch with friends who have scattered as we get older. We can express ourselves on social media. There are a million channels that connect people with similar interests. Unfortunately, some people are absolutely twisted and contribute boat loads of cringe that will burn the eyes and scar people who aren't prepared for it. So here we are, preparing you for the onslaught of pain these images will bring you. You're welcome.