Embarrassment as online currency in 2025: The 'To Nice' vs Tunis moment and the rise of cringe culture
A Vox analysis traces how everyday mortification fuels engagement, from travel missteps to cringe memes and the shifting boundaries of what counts as embarrassing.
Two American women traveling from Rome reportedly asked an airline agent for a flight 'to Nice,' but the staffer heard 'Tunis' instead. The misheard destination occurred while they were aboard Tunisair, and video of the moment was posted to TikTok, where it quickly went viral as the women laughed through the mix-up and remained on the flight while the crew corrected course. The episode has been cited as a showcase of the era’s appetite for public embarrassment online.
Vox’s Culture section describes the moment as emblematic of a broader trend toward 'embarrassment porn'—a genre in which everyday people broadcast mistakes for viewership and social currency. The piece points to other widely shared moments: Jet2 holiday memes featuring people being toppled from towable tubes and other accidentally funny stunts; instances of relationship drama aired online; and public missteps at events such as the US Open. The idea is that being unguarded can translate into attention, sponsorships, and new opportunities, especially for those who understand how to feed feeds with relatable, mortifying content.
Experts say the trend taps into long-running media dynamics. Brooke Erin Duffy, a communications professor at Cornell University, notes that public fascination with celebrities’ missteps once formed a paparazzi economy, but the pattern has trickled down to ordinary users. The result is footage that blends vulnerability with savvy social-media know-how. Natalie Wynn, known online as ContraPoints, describes cringe as secondhand embarrassment—an electric shock felt by viewers rather than the person performing the action. Gen Z’s relationship with cringe is nuanced: they often label outdated behaviors as cringe, while also embracing earnestness when it’s self-aware and owned by the creator. YouTube trend analyst Kaley Mullin says young creators lean into a self-aware mishmash of enthusiasm, quirks, and self-deprecation and argue that owning embarrassment can deflate its sting for audiences.
On TikTok and other apps, the tolerance for vulnerability has grown, lowering the risk of public missteps. Mullin argues that the platform’s algorithmic reach means even anonymous viewers can become fans, reducing the social penalty of looking silly. The Vox piece notes that the generation is not simply chill with cringe; they interpret it as a form of authenticity and relatability that can drive influence and career opportunities. The 2024 example of Reesa Teesa, who posted dozens of videos about being duped by her husband, illustrates how mortifying content can be repurposed into media projects and possibly business ventures. The 'To Nice' versus 'Tunis' moment sits within a broader trajectory toward a culture where mortification is a social currency.
Despite concerns about dignity and taste, the rising visibility of cringe content signals a shift in what is considered acceptable online behavior. Some observers say this trend reflects a society that values transparency and shared vulnerability after a decade of highly curated feeds. Others warn about the potential normalization of humiliation as entertainment. For now, the appetite for relatable, imperfect moments endures, and the line between mishap and meme continues to blur.