35 Mind-Bending Things People Did Just to Get Social Media Attention

This article was originally published on our site: yourdailyharbour.com

It’s not a secret people like attention for various reasons. It boosts their egos, helps promote their business and tell the compelling stories of their lives. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram turned even the most modest people into crazy attention seekers.

Some of them create beautiful works of art, go travelling to unusual places, or give beauty advice, but there are also those people who would do none of that. They would rather shock their followers with something unspeakable or utterly stupid like hanging from the edge of a skyscraper building with no support. Why? Well, just because they can!

And, sadly enough, all these horrible things do draw lots of attention, although for entirely different reasons. Here’s a list of people doing mind-bending things to become Facebook and Instagram stars. Warning! You might lose faith in humanity after this.

35. Russian Model Risked Her Life for a Boost of Fame

Seriously, how desperate should one be to take a selfie like this? Girl, there are safer ways to promote yourself that don’t involve falling off a skyscraper! Meet Vicki Odintsova, a Russian model, who risked her whole life for an impressive shot in Dubai.

Apart from her own common sense, we have a few questions for the guy who was holding her. What was he thinking? One wrong move and she could have fallen down to her death!

After the whole thing happened, Dubai’s police arrested her and made her sign a statement that she would never do it again. We really hope she learned her lesson! But the worse thing about it all is that some people actually applauded her for this reckless stunt.

34. YouTuber Cemented His Head in a Microwave

Firefighters have to deal with all kinds of crazy stuff and taking scared cats off the trees are definitely not the weirdest calls they are getting. Basically, whenever some weird accident happens - a fire brigade is called in. Well, this time was no different!

Imagine the firefighters' surprise when they saw a guy with a microwave oven cemented onto his head. They've seen lots of crazy things, but this was definitely among the weirdest ones.

An aspiring YouTube star wanted to get some extra attention, and what better way to do it than create a near-death experience? According to firefighters, the guy could have easily suffocated there because the tube he left for breathing wasn't letting in enough air for him to survive.

33. A Flower Field That is No More

Have you ever been to a beautiful place with a huge crowd of people? If so, you’ve probably noticed the impact such a gathering has on nature. Of course, all people are different and not all of them litter wherever they go or destroy beautiful gardens, but that still happens quite a lot.

This farmer, for instance, suffered from a bunch of instazombies hunting for that perfect shot in the flowery field. Once his location was out, dozens of people rushed to witness the beauty of the place and willingly or unwillingly destroyed it while taking their selfies.

One person visiting is okay, five is a bit too much, but when dozens upon dozens of people rush to a place with such a gentle ecosystem – the place will undoubtedly change. This is exactly what happened to this farmer. Just look at his sad face!

32. This is Not How You Do Yoga

It’s not a secret that many perceive yoga as a type of competition where everyone tries to out-perform one another with different stunts. This woman fell victim to this dangerous trend and decided to do some yoga asanas in the most dangerous way possible…

Can you even call it yoga at this point? Dangerous acrobatics maybe, but definitely not something that should calm your mind and make your body healthier.  Alex Terrazas, a student from Mexico, decided to do a yoga pose upside down while hanging on the rails of her balcony. It didn’t end well for her!

The woman lost her balance and feel all the way down from the sixth floor of her apartment building. Luckily, she was alive when the ambulance came but had to go through an excruciating 11-hour surgery. Were a few Instagram likes really worth it?

31. Instagrammer Did a Coronavirus Prank

People would do all kinds of stupid things just to gain some followers on YouTube and Instagram, but it seems like this guy has outdone everyone. James Potok, a rising social media star, wanted to get famous quickly, so he decided to use one subject that's best to never ever joke about - coronavirus.

On a flight from Toronto to Montego Bay, the guy stood up and announced to everyone that he has just been to Hunan province, the place where the outbreak of coronavirus has just happened at the time.

Whether he did it for the laughs or fame, we don't know. But his prank resulted in a terminated flight for over 200 people! The plane turned around and James Potok was arrested for what he did.

30. The Snowglobe Experiment

Did you ever wonder as a kid what snowglobes are made of? Especially all that snow floating in some kind of liquid. It looks mesmerizing from the outside, but once you open up the snowglobe it becomes a not very appetizing sight.

We say 'appetizing' because this attention-seeker decided it would be cool to drink that liquid with all the snow still floating inside. You've probably guessed how it all ended already, but this Twitter user made a follow-up message to confirm everyone's guesses.

The message contained only one word - 'hospital' and need we know more, really? It's obvious that whatever they put inside the snowglobe is not edible, but in case you were wondering - it's glycerin (or glycerol) and it's used to not only create pretty snowglobes but to treat burns as well.

29. This Girl Harassing Guys Just for Fame

If you know anything about Asian cultures, especially South Korean, then you know that simply talking to strangers is a pretty big deal there, let alone get close to them and touch them.

This one girl is breaking all possible rules (and common sense) by harassing guys in the streets of South Korea and making TikTok videos about it. The embarrassment and uneasiness are nearly palpable!

She clings to them and doesn't let go of the men no matter what! This is awful behaviour in any culture. Just imagine men doing something like that - it would be a scandal!

28. Wait…What?

We can laugh at all those selfie sticks all we want and judge the people who are actually using them for their Instagram pictures, but we can’t deny the fact that they are actually quite handy. Still, there are times when your hands are busy posing for the perfect shot. So, what to do then?

This genius girl had a hard time taking the perfect photo she wanted because one of her hands was always out of the picture clicking the shot. What did she do to create the comfy shot she wanted? She used her foot instead!

This may be quite hard to believe and we can’t really understand how she’s pulling it off, but somehow she does. And her photos end up looking like someone else photographed this woman being really close to her. That’s one smart way to take a selfie, ladies and gents.

27. The Most Disturbing Fashion Statement Ever

It's hard to imagine how someone would go to a place where thousands of people suffered and died horrible deaths and showcase their fashionable bag. Seriously, what is this guy even thinking?

Auschwitz was the biggest concentration camp organized by Nazis on the territory of occupied Poland. More than 1 million people were executed in the gas chambers of Auschwitz, although some historians estimate the number was much bigger than that.

Despite all the horrors that happened inside of this place, this guy decided to pose for a 'cool' Instagram shot with a Loui Vuitton bag... His followers probably weren't excited about this pic at all.

26. No One Actually Cares About Flowers

If any of these people who destroy dozens of tulips every year had any love or respect for flowers, they wouldn't be doing loads of selfies that destroy the fragile ecosystem of flower fields.

It has been a real menace in California with hundreds of people drawn to the blooming fields. As a result, they get pretty selfies, leaving barren lands behind...

It sounds dreadful, but the reality is even sadder! Each person thinks they are the only one taking that one selfie and that it wouldn't hurt anyone, but in the end, nature is harmed badly. All that for just a few Instagram likes!

25. Fake Hiking

Did you ever think that some of those people who are hiking, jogging, and going to nature all the time might be faking it? No? Well, we haven't either because why would anyone want to lie about something like that?

But it appears Instagram addicts do all kinds of things to create an appealing profile - that includes lying about where they go and what they do. Don't they get tired of telling lies all the time?

This girl was caught blatantly lying about her whereabouts - instead of going hiking, she was doing a 'hiking' photosession in her own backyard. This is one of the reasons why Instagram is the least-trustworthy social platform. You never know whether someone is telling (or showing) the truth!

24. Too Mysterious

Do you know those people who are always turning the most mundane events into some kind of big deal just to make their lives seem more exciting? You must have at least one friend like that.

It's so easy to exaggerate and tell lies when you're on social media because most of the time people just don't get caught. They tell their stories, get a bunch of likes, and that's it.

Imagine this guy's surprise when one of his friends caught him lying through his teeth about some mysterious stranger he met when in fact it was just his grandmother! That's just lame.

23. These Kids are So Happy to See Her (No, They're Not)

It's natural for us to explore other cultures and learn new things about other people's ways of life. But it's one thing to respectfully engage with people you meet in other countries and it's a totally different matter when you're just using them as a cool background for your selfie.

We aren't condemning taking selfies with the locals when you travel, but these kids, for example, look like they hate every second of it. The girl in the middle, on the other hand, looks like there's nothing wrong with what she's doing.

It doesn't matter where you travel to, but it does matter how you are treating other people. It's best not to presume that everyone automatically wants to take selfies with you!

22. TikToker Dumped A Whole Crate of Cereal at the Subway

Josh Popkin, a prankster known well on TikTok and YouTube, has billions of followers on his social media accounts. He's a real pro at creating viral videos, but lately, they've been getting attention for all the wrong reasons.

One of his latest videos includes a prank inside a subway train - he just went in, took a huge crate, filled it with milk and cereal, and then poured the whole thing onto the floor with a kind of 'oops' facial expression.

Needless to say, people were outraged calling this prank reckless, selfish, and the least funny thing they've ever seen. No one was on Josh Popkin's side! Of course, his video became viral as well, so in the end, he got what he wanted. The backlash was so severe that the prankster had to make a public apology, but that didn't stop him from making more scandalous videos.

21. What a View!

Angela Nikolau calls herself an ‘extreme model’ and that’s exactly how she keeps her Instagram account going – by posting otherworldly photos that would make any normal person dizzy. She climbs up the highest skyscrapers to take her one-of-a-kind pics and, by the looks of it, she isn’t going to stop any time soon.

Is it dangerous? Yes. Will she keep on doing it? Probably. Some people are just wired differently – their body’s chemistry allows them to feel less fear in situations like this.

If it were us trying to climb to the very top of a skyscraper, we’d probably faint somewhere along the way!

20. Don’t Ever Try This Yourself

Did you know that the whole taking selfies thing is killing more people each year than shark attacks? Well, sharks are actually not all that aggressive, but it is still an impressive fact. Take a closer look at this extreme biker and the mind-boggling selfie he decided to do in mid-air.

And now look at the back of his bike… There’s a kid hanging in the air all the while this guy is taking a photo! How crazy is that?

Well, they could be a family of stuntmen for all we know, but looking at this shot we just feel anxious for these people. What happened after they landed? And did they land properly at all? These people are really pushing their luck.

19. Spine-Crawling ASMR YouTubers

There’s a reason most people have never heard about the infamous ASMR YouTube trend – and yet, the trend is so big it has millions of people involved in it. Don’t worry, if you’ve never come across ASMR before – good for you because this trend offers lots, and we mean LOTS of cringe-worthy content.

ASMR stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response’, which is a very pleasant sensation often described as the tingling that can start in any part of your body – head, back, or spine, and swipe you with a wave of pleasantness. While most ASMR YouTubers create content to induce this beautiful sensation, something went terribly wrong along the way and other content started to emerge – like screeching the nails on a chalkboard, eating deodorant, and consuming glass.

We have no idea how that is supposed to be ASMR or anything close to pleasant, but this new rendition of the trend works like a charm – it attracts thousands of viewers, but for all the wrong reasons!

18. A Deadly Selfie

If you’ve ever been to Australia you know that this place is as beautiful as it is deadly. One second something is trying to bite off a part of you, the next one there’s a spider the size of your head lurking in your toilet, and then the harmless-looking platypus turns out to be a poisonous beast. You can’t trust anything in Australia!

And then you want to do some travelling and a tornado the size of the Empire State Building turns up to sweep you away like Dorothy. But make no mistake, there will be no kingdom of Oz on the other side! This guy, obviously an Aussie himself, was reckless enough to go right towards the tornado to investigate it a bit. Want to know how it all ended?

Naturally, he got too close to the darn thing and had to run for his life, cursing all the way back to his car. The vehicle took the main hit, but the guy remained alive. Lesson learned? We hardly think so! If he sees a tsunami next, he’ll probably run towards it, too!

17. Dangerous Love

This couple is definitely not the first one to click a wild selfie together to harness some media attention. After all, Instagram influencers need to fuel the public’s curiosity and what better way to do that than with a controversial pic that is both beautiful and dangerous?

Camille and Jean swear the train wasn’t moving all that fast and it was kind of safe to take a picture like this, but who are they kidding? It’s not safe and it certainly doesn’t send a healthy message to all those travellers out there who might want to make a memorable attention-grabbing selfie themselves.

Well, whatever the reasons, the Backpack Diariez did get a considerable social media boost because of their dangerous selfie. We just hope other couples wouldn’t be inspired to try this themselves!

16. The Most Horrible Person in the World

People who offend helpless creatures are the worst kind. And for what – some views and likes on YouTube? No money in the world can compensate for the suffering of children, not only is it a felony, but it’s also a sin if we’ve ever seen one.

Machelle Hobson, a mother to seven adopted children as well as a bunch of her own, organized a YouTube channel with the sole purpose of earning money. And when the children didn’t want to do it she resorted to abuse. Her YouTube channel seemed so cheerful, but something very gruesome was happening behind the scenes.

It’s hard to believe that a mother could hurt her own children, but that is the sad truth of some families. She did all that just to earn money via YouTube!

15. Crushing Someone’s Memorial

What is it with people these days turning everything into a setting for an Instagram photo?  Whether it is a celebration or a funeral, you will see at least one person pointing a phone at themselves to take a selfie.

But this girl went even further and invited a professional photographer, a cameraman, and a light guy to create an actual setting for a photo shoot. And if you’re wondering what this place is – it’s the very spot where George Floyd was shot!

Can you believe this person? Just how bad must you want social media attention that you would use someone’s death to become popular? Well, we guess, this is not the worst thing ever done to grab the crowd’s attention, but this is definitely cringe-worthy.

14. Don’t Mess with a Car Wash

Car washing may seem like a pretty harmless thing if you’re sitting inside the car or, better still, hang out somewhere outside while the whole thing is being done. But going out under that water and highly corrosive soap? It’s the most reckless thing in the world!

Those girls probably didn’t know just how dangerous a car wash can be when it comes to gentle human flesh. We’re using those nice shower gels and gentle towels for a reason! Out skin is super sensitive, so putting it under high-pressured water is not only stupid but also very dangerous.

Seriously, those pressure washers aren’t meant for humans – one could get a serious head injury or a bruise standing under one of those! Not to mention the industrial soap that is so corrosive it will leave scars on your skin for years. Bad idea, very bad idea.

13. What’s That in the Back?

There is only one word for some people – shameless. We mean, it’s completely understandable when a cute girl wants to take a selfie during a beautiful sunny day, but there is a time and a place to do that.

Usually, Instagram users try to pick the most beautiful and breathtaking locations for their shots. They are supposed to be attention-grabbing and awe-inspiring. Well, this girl decided to go with weird instead of beautiful.

Seriously, though, being respectful to the deceased is just common sense. We don’t think that anyone looking at this photo would feel good about it. This is just wrong on so many levels!

12. The Gender Reveal Bomb Tragedy

Seriously, how many whacky trends are there on the Internet? The answer is – an endless bottomless pit. If you’ve never heard about gender reveal bombs, then good for you. But if you have, chances are that you’ve already come across a few reports of people getting injured by them.

A gender reveal bomb is a small canister that, after lighting, starts producing colourful smoke – blue or pink, depending on the gender of the baby, hence the name. It sounds quite innocent, but it’s called a bomb for a reason.

This family wanted to have the most memorable gender reveal event ever, but instead, a tragedy happened. All because they wanted to grab some extra attention on social media!

11. A Mind-Boggling Volcano Selfie

Being a storm-chaser must have its perks, right? That’s probably what George Kourounis was thinking when he decided to take one of the most dangerous selfies in the world right in front of an active volcano bubbling with hot lava. Seriously, does this guy have any fear at all?

Along with two other explorers, George Kourounis climbed to the top of the Benbow volcano in Vanuatu to get the most stunning footage of the active volcano roaring with hot lava. Not only did they stand on the very edge of this dangerous beast, but they also found time to take some selfies for social media!

Well, can we really blame the man? When you hunt storms and glance into scalding hot lava pits it’s only natural to take a few pics along the way. Most people take selfies in front of pools, hills, monuments, or beautiful buildings, but George Kouriounis lives in a different kind of world where visiting an erupting volcano is like going on a walk in the park.

10. Baby Dolphin Gets Taken Out of Water for Photos

Would you take a dolphin out of the water just to take a photo of it? Probably not and we certainly wouldn’t do it ourselves. There are lots of normal people on social media, but there are also those that would do anything for some extra likes.

Can you believe these people? Not only did they drag the baby dolphin out of the water for photos, but it wasn’t just one silly person who did this – a whole crowd was taking part in the event!

According to some sources, the dolphin was already dead when it was taken out of the water. Does that make it any better? Maybe a little. Is it still a horrifying shot to look at? Absolutely.

9. Why Balloons Should be Banned

Balloons seem quite harmless at first glance, but did you ever think about what happens to them after they land somewhere in the city or in the wild? And no, they don’t go to some balloon heaven and rest in peace till the end of times.

Balloons are made of plastic – that’s the truth we should all face. And whether you’re celebrating a birthday or mourning the loss of a loved one, using balloons is a big NO. Adding more plastic to the environment is no way to celebrate life or mourn death!

Because afterwards innocent creatures suffer – like this one calf that was lucky enough to be saved from the aftermath of someone’s celebration. We should all be more mindful of our impact on the environment.

8. A Selfie with Jesus Himself

Even when you are a famous founder of a big travelling company named “The Flash Pack” that helps people to get to the most remote places all over the world, there is still some room for growth. Lee Thompson here felt that he could do with some more social media attention so he decided to climb none other than Jesus the Redeemer himself.

Seriously, though, how did he manage to pull it off? We have no idea, but the Brazilian tourism board allowed him to do this atrocious act for some reason, so now we can all enjoy one of the most spectacular selfies ever made – with Jesus!

But even with the permission to climb the statue – how did he actually do it? Going all the way up a 124-feet-high Jesus is no walk in the park, that’s for sure.

7. Destroying Nature for some TikTok Fun

Just like any social media platform, TikTok has its weird trends and challenges. And like with all social media platforms people do weird stuff to grab a few dozens of likes. We mean, who would destroy a piece of nature in the very place they were living just for the fun of it?

This is like chopping the branch you’re sitting on – dude, you’ll be drinking that very same water you spoiled soon. But most people probably just don’t think about the consequences of their deeds as long as they get those few ‘this is so cool’ comments.

We seriously hope there were some legal repercussions after this. Environmental damage is not something that should be taken lightly.

6. Dan and Diggy’s Heartbreaking Story

How hard can it be to get yourself a dog and live happily ever after? Yet this wasn’t the case for Dan Tillery, who started off as a mere Instagram user and ended up becoming a powerful Insta influencer due to his story.

Living in a place where dogs weren’t allowed, Dan and his girlfriend finally moved to a new house and brought a cute rescue dog named Diggy with them. The family was on cloud nine! Especially Dan who has been dreaming of having a dog since childhood. He merrily posted pics of him and the dog on Instagram, gaining more and more followers each day, but then something unexpected happened – police knocked on their door!

It turned out it wasn’t allowed to own pit bulls in their township! Apparently, police took notice of Dan’s popular Instagram account and his dog, and gave an ultimatum – Dan would either take Diggy back to the animal rescue, or he will go to jail. Long story short, Dan went to court with the whole thing and millions of people all across the Internet supported his every step. In the end, justice prevailed and Dan got to live with his best friend. And the stupid township law was changed!

5. Too High? Not for This Guy

An Instagram user who goes by the name MustangWanted is an urban climber and a huge influencer. When it comes to climbing rooftops, bridges, churches and towers all over the world his name is the first that pops up. Yes, he’s that good!

Pavlo Ushivets, born and raised in Ukraine, travels to different countries to conquer their highest spots. He has climbed up the Princess Tower in Dubai, the Votivkirche in Vienna, and the Seven Sisters skyscrapers in Moscow.

What started as a fun hobby soon grew into a passion and then into a full-time occupation. He now has thousands of followers on Instagram and even had a movie made about his adventures with other fellow urban climbers.

4. Stubborn Instagrammer

If you’ve ever been to the Garfield Park Observatory you know that it is a serene place filled with beautiful nature. But some people go there not to enjoy the surroundings, but merely to snap a few shots for Instagram.

Seriously, will this Instagram craze ever end? Or we’re trapped in this cycle of posting photos and getting likes till the end of times? Well, this one girl was acting like everyone else who is in the ‘gram business of getting extra attention and extra likes. She stomped all over the plants trying to get to the spot she saw fit to become a backdrop for her perfect shot and didn’t want to go away even when security came for her.

Things like this happen more often than you think! And we end up looking at hundreds of Instagram accounts with fake-happy images of people ‘living their life to the fullest’ when all they do is just hunt for those impressive shots!

3. Photographer Wanted to Make Friends with the Storm of the Century

What do most people do when they see a huge storm swirling in the sky and turning into a spine-chilling tornado? Right, they would get as far from that place as possible even if they had to run for their life. But not this guy!

Tyler Schmitt, a reckless photographer from Arizona, did nothing of that sort – instead, he started moving towards the scary thing! Well, we can’t really blame him as we all know that photographers are a weird bunch and would do anything for a great shot. He couldn’t resist the temptation!

Mr Schmitt is a professional thrill-seeker, so he does what he does not only for some social media attention, but also because he actually loves this dangerous occupation.  Chasing storms for a living is probably one of the most dangerous jobs in the world!

2. Don’t Look Down

Yep, we get it, mountains and canyons are cool and one simply has to take a selfie when visiting a beautiful place like the Horseshoe Bend. But girl, do you really need to get so close to the edge? Is that selfie even worth it?

We kind of get it when pro thrill-seekers and storm-chasers do super-dangerous selfies, but when ordinary people with no special background are risking their lives for a photo – that is just silly. And that silliness can get someone hurt or worse.

Well, we can’t deny the fact that the photo is pretty stunning, though. We just hope this young woman doesn’t develop a habit of chasing dangerous selfies just to impress her followers.

1. Didn’t This Guy Watch the Jaws Movie?

We believe Stephen Spielberg was graphic enough when he showed what an encounter with a shark could do to a person. But even if the brave diver didn’t watch the famous Jawsmovie, he must know just how dangerous swimming with the sharks can be, especially when your attention is elsewhere!

Meet Aaron Gekoski, a professional diver, who decided to take a few highly dangerous selfies with a bunch of blacktip sharks circling him for dinner. Well, we don’t know whether they were actually hungry when the shot was taken, but does it really matter at this point?

In the comments to the photo, Aaron Gekoski noted that sharks aren’t actually that dangerous, even though they might look like that. Each year they kill no more than five people and usually it happens due to some tragic mistake. He confessed that diving itself is far more dangerous to human health than sharks and other wildlife he comes across while diving.