10 Times the Internet Took Things Way Too Seriously
10 Times The Internet RAGED Over Nothing
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at 10 times people online got a bit too heated for no good reason.
Sydney Sweeney American Eagle Ad
The pun in this 2025 jeans commercial set social media ablaze. And there was no shortage of critical articles about it either. But, honestly, the backlash was excessive. Sydney Sweeney certainly did not see it coming. She responded by saying that she loved jeans and the American Eagle brand, and that she did not support the negative views that people attached to the ad. Tons of people took issue with the jeans/genes play on words, interpreting it as sending a bad message about genetic superiority and eugenics. But at the end of the day, it was just a famous actress advertising some jeans—not something that warranted such resentment directed at either Sweeney or American Eagle.
365 Buttons
After a TikTok user named Tamara posted about “getting 365 buttons” in late 2025, people were confused about what it meant—so much so that they were dying to get to the bottom of it. But Tamara just would not explain herself. At one point, she even stated that it only had to make sense for her and she didn’t feel like explaining it to anyone. Didn’t feel like it? Why not? People wondered. Based on comments, some users became legitimately frustrated. “365 Buttons” ultimately became one of the defining memes of 2026. We suppose it’s good that people want answers, but is this particular answer really important? We’d say no.
James Corden Not Driving During “Carpool Karaoke”
The most popular recurring segment on the “The Late Late Show with James Corden” was “Carpool Karaoke.” The host would sit in the car and sing with celebrities, typically famous singers. Some episodes went viral on the show’s YouTube channel, in some cases racking up tens of millions of views in just days. But in 2020, Corden faced the internet’s wrath when a video circulated showing him and Justin Bieber in the car for a reported upcoming episode. The problem? Corden was not driving the car; it was being towed. People online were surprised, disappointed, and seemingly even mad. In reality, though, Corden drove for the vast majority of the bits—just not this time. In the end, the situation certainly gave him good comedy material.
Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez’s Relationship
As one of the most highly publicized celebrity romances of the 2010s, “Jelena” was intensely scrutinized. Both Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez had passionate fanbases, and plenty of people rooting for them as a couple. But various moments, including their first breakup, led to excessive online hate. In 2016, Bieber even threatened to make his Instagram account private. He and Gomez engaged in a heated online argument that included cheating allegations. Followers of both celebs also directed anger at each other’s fanbases and the celebs themselves as a result. Yes, it’s a famous couple, so it was bound to be a talking point. But the public obsession was overly emotional—and simply too much.
The 13th Star Symbol
Some people identify more closely than others with their astrological signs. But one thing’s for sure: it’s a big talking point that everyone knows about. So, in 2016, when a rumor that NASA changed the zodiac surfaced, people were not happy. What happened was that NASA noted that there are 13 constellations that the Sun travels through: all 12 of the zodiac signs we know and love, plus Ophiuchus. People thought NASA was suggesting there are actually 13 zodiac signs, which would throw off the astrological calendar. The agency posted a statement saying, “Here at NASA, we study astronomy, not astrology. We didn’t change any zodiac signs, we just did the math.” So, it really wasn’t worth getting mad at NASA or the ancient Babylonians.
Instagram’s Logo Change
It’s one thing if the app itself is changed. That can warrant massive outrage. But the change of a logo to something that isn’t even all that bad? That’s another story. And that’s precisely what happened in 2016 when Instagram’s logo shifted from the classic polaroid camera to a much more simplified camera with a different color scheme. Adweek called the rebrand a “travesty.” Tons of comments, including profanity-ridden ones, on social media displayed similar sentiments. The year prior, Google had a logo change with a new typeface that spurred similar negative reactions. But for this list, we’re choosing the Instagram logo change, because that led to a larger backlash. Funny enough, that logo has stuck around!
IHOP Becoming IHOb
Everyone knows IHOP as the International House of Pancakes. In 2018, though, it was announced that it would temporarily become IHOb with a “b.” And that “b” was not for breakfast… or biscuits… or bacon… but burgers—yes, burgers. Many customers were not happy, expressing their disapproval online, feeling it didn’t make sense for the chain’s brand identity. Twitter erupted with memes and backlash, and even real burger chain accounts roasted IHOb. There was a lot of overreaction. After all, this was just a temporary promotion—and you’d still be able to order pancakes at IHOb. Plus, it didn’t last long anyway. IHOb was back to IHOP after just one month.
Starbucks’ Red Cups
Who knew a plain red cup with a company’s logo could stir so much controversy? For quite some time, Starbucks has had a tradition of serving drinks in red cups for the holiday season. In 2015, the cups were plain, without any festive designs. Somehow, for some people, this became a “war on Christmas” of sorts. Some viewed the lack of a Christmassy design on the cup as anti-Christian. One evangelical internet personality named Joshua Feuerstein claimed Starbucks hated Jesus. He also asked his over 1.8 million followers to use the hashtag #MerryChristmasStarbucks and to ask baristas to write “Merry Christmas” on their cups instead of their names. Seriously? We’ll say it again so it’s crystal clear: these are cups we’re talking about.
Yanny or Laurel
The online engagement this short audio recording garnered was nothing short of incredible. We’re not here to tell you what you heard, but whether it was Yanny or Laurel, there were plenty of people who disagreed with you. In a Twitter poll with over 500,000 respondents, 53 percent said they heard “Laurel,” while 47 percent said they heard “Yanny.” Some people were so convinced that they got into arguments in comment sections, seeming to take it all a little too seriously. An inconsequential thing seemed like something more. No one wants to be wrong, we suppose.
The Dress
This one belongs in the social media history books as one of the most iconic, memorable online viral phenomena of all time. You might remember it if we simply say “the dress.” That’s how big of a deal it was, specifically in 2015, when the photo was posted on Facebook. Many thought the dress was black and blue; others saw it as white and gold. Within a week, there were more than 10 million tweets mentioning it. It was an absolutely massive internet debate, with people firmly backing their stances, in some cases a little too much—to the point where they seemed legitimately mad that another person was not seeing what they were seeing. We can’t control what we see, people!
What’s something else you think people got excessively mad about on the internet? Let us know in the comments!
