When you think about it, social media is almost entirely powered by cringe. Sure, we use it to keep up with friends and family, share innocent memes, and learn things, but the stuff that really keeps everybody hooked up to their internet pills is when other people publicize an insane opinion or reaction. Like it or not, we’re addicted to things that make us feel bad. Also, it’s no coincidence that outrage bait is great for reeling in engagement. 

These days, it seems as if most of us have readily accepted that much of what we see on our phones will be cringeworthy in some way. Everyone out there is capable of being cringe, seeing as it is a matter of personal opinion, but it can take some specialist cringiness to get a lot of other people to sit up and notice. Quite a few of the examples on this list do just that. It can make for a hard scroll.