Top 5 Trending Hashtags for Making Excuses

There’s nowhere to hide on social media. For politicians, celebrities, big corporations and yes, even you, an embarrassing gaffe or controversial situation can turn into a Twitterstorm at a moments’ notice. Some well known excuses turned into trending hashtags on Twitter all over the world.

You only need to look at the darkly funny (and how quickly it got shut down!) #WalkersWave campaign or the cringe-worthy #askJPM debacle to know that social media users take no prisoners.

Here are Top 5 trending Hashtags For Making Excuses over the Years

Even when something goes down IRL, people take to social media to vent their frustrations and have a good old moan. Have you ever sent an exasperated tweet when waiting for a late-running train on your way to work? You’re not the only one! That’s why there’s so many examples out there of times when companies or individuals have had to apologise, u-turn, and make their excuses. Some of them have been rolled out time and again. So much so that they might compete with #dogatemyhomework for ultimate classic excuse status! Take a look at the 5 best excuses (in our opinion), that you’ll hopefully never need to use!

1. #fakenews

It’s officially Collins Dictionary’s word of the year for 2017, and in this new age of politics. It’s become the ultimate excuse for any news report that @realDonaldTrump doesn’t agree with. It seems like there hasn’t been a day since the presidential campaign started that #fakenews wasn’t trending on Twitter.

Although it started out as a political potshot at the media, it’s become a well-known phrase. We’ve seen it used as an excuse for everything from paying the rent late to not taking the bins out. If you’re interested in reading more about our take on ridiculous #fakenews stories.

2. #wardrobemalfunction

Way back in 2004, when Twitter was still just a twinkle in Jack Dorsey’s eye. The world went into a frenzy after Justin Timberlake “accidentally” exposed Janet Jackson’s nipple, live at the SuperBowl halftime show.

The hilarious excuse she gave was that there had been a wardrobe malfunction. This was quickly adopted as the most trending hashtag excuse for any clothing-related mishap. Whether it’s fans commentating on the stars coming down the red carpet at an awards ceremony, or a cheeky selfie gone awry, even now more than a decade later, it’s a hashtag we use on the regular.

3. #SouthernStrike

You haven’t seen true frustration and anger until you’ve seen a London commuter finding out yet another train has been cancelled at the end of a busy work day. Workers in the capital were faced with daily headaches and hours of waiting in the capital’s train stations as dozens of services to and from the suburbs were cancelled because of a long-running dispute in the company.

So, not only did #SouthernStrike become the official hashtag for the latest travel updates, it also became the excuse ‘du jour’ for anyone who was running late for work, left friends waiting at the pub or missed their kids’ bedtime – whether that was the real reason why, or not!

4. #ididntseeit

One for the football fans, “I didn’t see it” is Arsene Wenger’s infamous excuse.  He’s been using for many a season when questioned in post-match interviews about a foul or a bit of bad play from one of his Arsenal squad. He’s freely admitted he uses it to protect the feelings of his players. It works perfectly as a catch-all excuse whenever you need to evade a sticky situation.

5. #phonedied

We’ve all used this one, haven’t we? Whether it’s your BFF, a clingy date or, admit it, sometimes even your Mum, saying that your phone ran out of battery. The #phonedied is on of the top twitter trending hashtags as it’s everyone’s go-to excuse for the digital age.

There’s a silent agreement that everyone seems to understand. That it’s one of those little untruths that you can just let slide, most of the time. Two college students in America recently took this to the extreme.  They spent 3 years chatting on Tinder, leaving months and months between messages. Starting off with the classic #phonedied, their exchanges of “I was in the shower” or “I’ve had a really busy week” really sum up how much we all love using excuses nowadays. When you’re connected to everyone you’ve ever known on social media 24/7, you have to have a few good excuses up your sleeve when you need a break, right?!

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