Not everyone was born Steve Jobs. In a world ruled by technology and social media, many people find themselves struggling to keep up with increasingly elaborate electronics. The elderly are taking tips from their “tech-savvy kids,” and our moms are figuring out how to upload Instagram stories, which is both a bless… I mean, a curse, really.
But hey, who am I to judge when there are still some people who are so clueless about seemingly basic tech things like chargers, ad blockers, and electric kettles? Bored Panda has compiled a painfully cringy list of some of the most absurd fails in the land of electronics that will make tech ed classics great again.
After you’re done reading this post, be sure to check out our previous lists with the worst software fails, older people struggling with technology, and tech support people sharing the nightmare fails they’ve encountered.
#1 “The Printer Isn’t Working”
Image source: MirrorlikeTent
#2 This Is How My Auntie Blocks Ads From Her Computer Screen
Image source: itswallsss
#3 Oh, Dear, Dad Tried To Print A Video
Image source: Tom_Sawyerer
#4 End User Had A Heater Next To The PC Which Was Randomly Shutting Off And She Thought She Had Smelled Burning A Couple Of Times. It Is Literally Screaming
Image source: Dragon_Khan
#5 My Girlfriend’s Grandma Thought The iPad Was A Cutting Board
Image source: IonnaTrailer
#6 Technologically Superior
Image source: minidude22
#7 Some Karen Raged Into The Apple Store And Asked For A Refund For Her iPhone 5. I Didn’t Listen To The Convo But When I Walked Past I Heard The Manager Asked Her If She Charged It, She Said No
Image source: LiterallyEkam
#8 Asked My Dad Why He Was Reading Through The Camera App On His Phone. He Said He Wanted To See What It Would Be Like If I Had A Kindle
Image source: borrow_a_feeling
#9 My Dad Says, “Google Is Doing This Stupid Thing Where The Blur The Top Left Part Of The Results. Facebook Is Doing It Too Actually.” He Melted The Top Left Corner Of His Screen
Image source: unidentifies
#10 Student Uses Light On Phone To Charge Portable Solar Battery So That He Can Charge His Phone
Image source: IKnowICantSpel
#11 I Decided To Upgrade To An Electric Kettle This Week, A Detail I Remembered As It Burst Into Flames On The Gas Stove
Image source: notsewfast_
#12 Should I Tell My Mom She’s Supposed To Take The iPad Out Of The Box?
Image source: FrederikTwn
#13 I Set Up A Lock Screen App That Takes A Photo If You Put The Password In Wrong Trying To Catch My Daughter On My Phone. I’ve Only Caught Myself So Far Mostly First Thing In The Morning
Image source: jrminoh
#14 I Couldn’t Find My Phone But It Was Connected To The Bluetooth So I Figured It Was Somewhere In… Or Out Of The Car
Image source: schelie
#15 iPhone X That Came Into The Shop Today. Customer Said “I’ve Never Dropped It In Water”
Image source: Lt_Pineapples_
#16 My Dad’s Way Of Transferring Pictures
Image source: dealdroper
#17 Saw My Mom’s Phone, And Investigated. She Used The Screen Protector’s Throwaway Film Instead Of The Actual Screen Protector
Image source: The_PwnShop
#18 I Need Somewhere To Set This Candle. Oh Here’s A Good Spot
Image source: kjb0419
#19 My Mother-In-Law Keeps Complaining That Her Kindle Wouldn’t Charge
Image source: gumball_Jones
#20 Dad Accidentally Turned Off Keyboard Backlighting And Couldn’t See The Keys
Image source: silaxs
#21 My Professor Got Bored In Class So She Went On Facebook. She Really Didn’t Seem To Notice Her Laptop Was Still Connected To The Projector
Image source: dstryker120
#22 Nothing Like Pulling Out A Warm Pillow Out Of The Dryer Right Before Bedtime
Image source: BlackDeathZombieSwede
#23 Don’t Ask Me
Image source: goth_cakes
#24 Customer Brought In This iMac For Not Powering On. This Is How He Apparently Uses It
For further context: I’m 99% sure the customer has been running his iMac with the shipping plastic in place since 2015, including on the bottom covering the vents, as there’s airflow patterns of dust and certain areas where the plastic has melted/deformed; note the scotch tape ON the plastic covering the camera.
EDIT: Just called the customer and asked/confirmed the plastic has been in place; “I guess that’s why I hear the fans ramp up!” And he wants to keep the plastic in place, lol. But I got him to agree to at least let me clip the bottom portion so it no longer wraps around the vents.
Image source: raptordrew
#25 Wondered Why One Of My Earbuds Wasn’t Going In The Charging Case
Image source: mrspea84
#26 My Sister Was Putting On Her Make Up In Front Of A Window And The Mirror She Was Using Burnt A Hole In Her Screen
Image source: Hucufurus
#27 Ripped Off What I Thought Was Protective Plastic From A New Monitor. It Was The Polarizing Film
Image source: reddit.com
#28 I Was Really Pleased To Find That My Left-Behind Charger Had Arrived In The Mail. Because I Am My Own Worst Enemy, I Hastily Opened The Package With Scissors
Image source: toolsoftheincomptnt
#29 My Dad Photocopied His Phone To Use A Money Off Voucher
Image source: O_mo_chreach
#30 Candle Was Super Fragrant Last Night. Now I Know Why
Image source: TomSF
#31 Customer Came In With His iPhone, His Glass Cracked, He Thought He Could Peel Off The Glass So He Wouldn’t Notice The Crack Anymore
Image source: Ferbel
#32 Found Out My Toaster Can Work As A Timer, Even When Not Plugged In. Now I Have To Wait Another 20 Minutes To Find Out How Good These Fish Sticks Are
Image source: zxvegasxz
#33 “But I Like It This Way, It’s Convenient” – My Tech Savvy Aunt
Image source: Lordalphax
#34 Thermostat Had Hardly Worked All Winter, A Friend Suggested I Open It And Look For A Switch
Image source: bath-tub
#35 Xerox Fault Error 072-210
Image source: DarrenCax
#36 Obviously Scatterbrained Today, I Put A Laundry Detergent Pod In The Dishwasher
Image source: uglypatty
#37 Brother Couldn’t Figure Out Why His Wi-Fi Signal Was Terrible
Image source: Nostrom01
#38 Just Found Out Why My Mom’s Laptop Wasn’t Charging
Image source: Yeetus-Rice
#39 Broken Clip? No Problem
Image source: SmoothToast
#40 If You Spill Acetone On Your Table, Make Sure You Clean It All Up
Image source: DivineBanana
#41 “It’s Hard To Hear People Unless I’m On Speakerphone”
Image source: sdyar
#42 My Mom Using A Magnifying Glass To See My Phone Better. Love Her To Death But She’s Not The Best With Technology
Image source: always_heer
#43 Girlfriend Turned The New Iron On Without Checking The Bottom. She Turned It Into A Boiling Plastic Spreader
Image source: reddit.com
#44 Spent 10 Minutes Looking For The Drip Tray For The Forman Grill, After I Turned It On
Image source: Kimritto
#45 I Can’t Figure Out How To Get On To Netflix
Image source: Nancy_Groves
#46 My Sister Unplugged My 3D Printer With Only A Few Layers Left On This 20 Hour Print
Image source: Half_Smashed_Face
#47 My Wife Washed My USB Drive Because It Was “Sticky”
Image source: notw86
#48 My Mom Didn’t Know How To Take A Screenshot So She Improvised With The Scanner
Image source: mcgray
#49 My Dad Didn’t Realize You Could Screen Record Videos
Image source: scoliosisissad
#50 iPhone 12 Pro Cracked In Under 6 Hours Of Owning
Image source: suprenaut
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