When Does Witty Become Rude?
Mythbusting online has always been a difficult task for me. Are the things I’m seeing on the web real? Have photos been photoshopped and edited to fool gullible people such as myself? While I promise you this blog will include some of those serious questions, the comedy does not fall far behind.
* Disclaimer – what I consider comedy*
I was scrolling through Tiktok last week when a Duolingo video came on my For You Page:
I laughed, then laughed even harder at the replies to the comments – especially the verified brand comments. It took me a few minutes before my critical brain came online and asked “When does witty become rude?” While I find the posts to be quite entertaining, I know some people don’t see it the same way I do. The question requires a deep dive into social media content, psychology, and sociology, but for now I’d rather provide some thought provoking questions.
Duolingo, Ryanair, BarkBox, and Wendy’s are just a few of the accounts I came across that have some pretty witty responses. I’ll be honest and say I haven’t dug into the comments of people who are unimpressed or insulted by these posts, but I can guarantee there are lots. It makes me think about whether I have become too sensitive, or if I expect more professionalism from verified brand accounts. It is a loaded question that my sociological brain wants to solve, but isn’t sure there’s a right answer to.
Check out the following article, The Rise and Fall of the Sassy brand on Social Media, for a more critical view of witty brand responses by Angelo Franco, writer for High Brow Magazine.
Can a brand ruin it’s reputation with these type of responses? Have you ever come across a witty social media response while scrolling through your feed? How did it make you feel? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
In the meantime I’m going to post some of my favourite screenshots below – I’d love to see your faves too!
Facebook: Witty Brand Responses – How Do They Make You Feel? Check out my blog for some important questions to ask! https://bit.ly/3F1hfej
Twitter: Can #WittyComebacks Ruin A Brands Reputation? Let me know your thoughts! https://bit.ly/3F1hfej
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Steph, I agree with you, some of the accounts may be funny but there are others that are already a bit rude. Using the photo shoot has also been a great tool for clever post, I admire their creativity.