Key Findings:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to a 2023 Statista report, the US has the most influencers globally at over 58 million. Such influence comes with its fair share of ick, of course. Another study finds that 54% of Gen Z Americans want to be social media influencers. So, as the youth (and not so youth) try to make it into the influencer circle, which ones are posting the ick? One state stands out and it’s not what you\u2019d expect. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Iowa ranked as the #1 most \u201ccringe-worthy\u201d social media users by 69%<\/strong>. Nationally, social media users agreed that lip-syncing songs on stories is the cringiest behavior of all, but 85% of Iowans think it’s fine. Perhaps that\u2019s why the rest of the nation is giving Iowa the bombastic side-eye. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Live Free or Die\u201d state also comes into focus. New Hampshire placed 2<\/strong>nd<\/sup><\/strong> for cringiest social media usage<\/strong>. So, what\u2019re they posting about if not Ivy League schools and nature? 45% agreed with the nation that lip-syncing in stories is the cringiest thing you can do, but 67% of New Hampshirites participated in other cringe-inducing social media behavior like overly filtered photos and the oh-so-original #throwbackthursday pictures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Headed down the East Coast, you\u2019ll find our third contender for cringe. Georgia may be as sweet as a peach, but it\u2019s also as cringe as its Coca-Cola brag. Georgia ranked #3 most cringe-inducing social media usage<\/strong>, as 64% of its residents partake in ick-like Instagram behavior. Namely, outfits of the day (OOTD) and contest reshares that, chances are, they won\u2019t win despite tagging all 400 of their followers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not everything online must be an eye roll. Some users have mastered the art of entertaining the internet and they tend to live closer together it turns out. New Mexico ranked #1 for least cringe social media usage<\/strong>. They got the memo that gym selfies and captioning your post \u201cAdventure awaits\u201d is something we can leave offline as only 25% of New Mexicans participate in cringe social media behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n D.C. comes in second place for its cool social media presence<\/strong>. Many DC residents dreamed of working on The Hill since they were in grade school, so they knew better than to post their personal lives online. Our nagging parents once told us \u201cEverything you post online is permanent\u201d and DC kids took that to heart. Their clean social media rap sheet helps them to earn the 2nd<\/sup> spot of non-cringe social media usage. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n This next state puts the Cajun in cool. Louisiana ranked #3 coolest social media users in the US<\/strong>. Think of them as the cooler older sibling to the Florida Man and you\u2019ll understand why they rank so high. With only 35% of its users partaking in the typical cringe behavior, we can understand why they earn their cool card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What about the social hubs of the US? With cocktail bars and photo ops abound in the more metropolitan areas, we wanted to know the cities with the cringiest social media usage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Movie stars and Nepo babies are no match for LA\u2019s cringiest social media users. Coming out as the #1 most ick-inducing city for social media usage, Los Angeles<\/strong> takes the cringe cake. Where the top trending Twitter hashtags for the rest of the country right now are the Democratic National Convention and Joe Biden, LA is focusing on the more important stuff like #loveislandusa and #fullmooninaquarius. Maybe it’s best you keep your Erewhon haul videos to yourselves, LA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n 2nd place goes to Seattle, Washington where 78%<\/strong> of its social media posters participated in \u201ccringe behavior.\u201d The pinnacle (or should we say Pike-acle) of \u201cbasic Instagram girl\u201d – Seattle is Starbucks\u2019 birthplace which could clue into why it earned second place. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicknamed the \u201cMusic City\u201d, Nashville takes 3<\/strong>rd<\/sup><\/strong> place as most cringiest city on social media<\/strong>. 75% of its residents aren\u2019t shy to lip-syncing on stories (hey, they\u2019re just trying to make their big break!) or posting overused Dolly quotes like, \u201cThe way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. New York City \u2013 69% <\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Orlando \u2013 67% <\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Salt Lake City \u2013 66% <\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. Tucson \u2013 65% <\/p>\n\n\n\n 8. Atlanta \u2013 64% <\/p>\n\n\n\n 9. Tampa \u2013 60% <\/p>\n\n\n\n 10. Dallas 58% <\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that we\u2019ve roasted half the United States, let’s talk about cringe at the national level. There are some things we all agree are \u201cew, why\u201d and some that are passable. Here\u2019s the ranking list of most to least cringe things on social media according to Americans: <\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s not to say you can\u2019t<\/em> post \u201cIf he\u2019s stupid enough to walk away, be smart enough to let him\u201d after your break-up, just know it might be a little…cringe for your followers. As for your snazzy new \u2018fit? OOTD your heart out! <\/p>\n\n\n\n When do we post the most on social media? Vacation of course! It\u2019s hard to resist a humble brag about your all-inclusive Cancun vacation or a selfie during your European summer tour, but some travel posts are better in the drafts than on the feed. In ranking order, here are the most to least cringey things you can post while traveling: <\/p>\n\n\n\n We know it’s tempting to show your ex just how fine you are by posting your \u201ccatch flights, not feelings\u201d selfie, but it’s probably better if you don\u2019t. \u201cMentally I\u2019m here\u201d ranked as the least cringe, but physically<\/em> you’re not, so your followers probably don\u2019t want to hear about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Brat summer to the internet by storm. But what is brat<\/em>? We took to the masses to ask them to define \u201cbrat\u201d and here\u2019s what the US thinks brat is: <\/p>\n\n\n\n The remaining 5% consisted of Kamala Harris, a sexual innuendo, or bratwurst. Some Americans associate it with Charlie XCX, and some think it\u2019s a sausage \u2013 what a concept! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Just remember it used to be cool to “poke\u201d people on Facebook and now the thought of it would make your stomach turn, so be who you are and post what you feel because it\u2019s just the internet! Americans come together to agree on the most and least cringe social media behaviors, but if you and your friends \u201clol\u201d and \u201clmao\u201d at what you post then you should just throw caution and cringe to the wind. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In August 2024, we surveyed 3,000 U.S. residents about their social media habits and what they deemed the most “cringe”. The representative sample comprised of 53.2% female, 45% male, >2% non-binary, transgender, and\/or other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Feel free to use the data or visuals on this page for non-commercial purposes. Please be sure to include proper attribution linking back to this page to give credit to the authors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For any press questions, please contact riley.clark[at]casino.org <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Duck face and peace signs or Lomo-filtered photos \u2013 the cringe of social media is no new phenomenon. That said, …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":97,"featured_media":41787,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n
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The cringiest social media users live in… <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWhere do the \u201ccool kids\u201d of social media reside? <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Cities with the cringiest social media posters <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Special mentions go to the other cringe-worthy cities on the list: \u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
National trends we find \u201ccringe\u201d <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Don\u2019t do this cringe-inducing trend while traveling <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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What is Brat<\/em>? The jury is still out\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Summary <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Methodology <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fair Use <\/h2>\n\n\n\n