What is the “Fell For It Again Award” meme? The ultimate symbol of online embarrassment

Representational image (Image via Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)
Representational image (Image via Pexels/ Andrea Piacquadio)

On the internet, self-awareness goes to die, and irony thrives like a cockroach in a nuclear wasteland. The "Fell For It Again Award," a meme so brutally efficient at delivering digital humiliation that it might as well come with its own theme music.

Well, if you have ever been publicly clowned for falling for the same internet hoax, misinformation, or bald-faced lie multiple times, congratulations! You might just be the next recipient of this illustrious dishonor.


What is the "Fell For It Again Award" meme?

"Fell For It Again Award" meme (Image via SoyBooru)
"Fell For It Again Award" meme (Image via SoyBooru)

It's just another Soyjak meme on the surface, but it wears a blue ribbon. It's an iconic touch that often yells Achievement unlocked!—but here, it speaks more to epic failure achieved.

The difference between the shiny award aesthetic and the grim reality that it represents is what makes the burn hit harder. It is a full-blown roast session contained within a single, devastating image.


Origins of the "Fell For It Again Award" meme

The origins of this masterpiece of mockery can be traced back to April 16, 2023, when it was first uploaded to SoyBooru, a site best described as a Soyjak content treasure trove.

The image itself was most likely born from the depths of the Soyjak party, where Wojak-based memes are refined, remixed, and relentlessly deployed into the internet trenches.

Well, for those who are in the dark about internet humiliation, this award doesn't just appear out of the blue.

It is a descendant of a previous meme - the "Posted It Again Award" on May 11, 2022, a meme that mocked a person for posting the same thing repeatedly. As if the internet loves nothing else but to humorously give people ironic awards for making the same mistake twice.

Predictably, the "Fell For It Again Award" found its true calling in quote tweets, where X users gleefully slap it onto posts from people who, well, fell for it again.

Whether it's someone earnestly debating a long-debunked conspiracy theory, taking satire as fact, or just getting caught up in another viral misinformation trap, this meme is deployed with the precision of a sniper shot—quick, efficient, and absolutely lethal.


The MAGA makeover

Of course, in the spirit of all things Internet, it didn't take long before someone decided to give the Soyjak a makeover.

One particularly spicy iteration involves slapping a "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hat onto its head.

This version specifically aims Trump supporters, framing them as uniquely susceptible to misinformation and conspiracy theories.


What's up with the meme?

Like all public-shaming memes, it can create an online war environment in which no one dares to voice an opinion for fear of being the next receiving end of the dread ribbon of dishonor.

It's a double-edged sword: on one hand, it's a much-needed call-out for repeat offenders of gullibility; on the other, a potential silencing tool that would discourage open discussion.

Naturally, as the meme evolved, so did its variations. Some versions feature the Soyjak drowning in an avalanche of blue ribbons, each a monument to past mistakes.

Others take the exaggeration to absurd levels, morphing the character into grotesque, distorted figures.

Once you’ve been owned by it, that digital scar doesn’t fade.

Edited by Yesha Srivastava
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