With both Instagram and Facebook down, users were plunged into an abyss of confusion with no idea where exactly to post their cat pictures.
All over the world, restless thumbs were twitching and selfies were left unfiltered and unseen, and the thoughts of heavy Instagram users turned wild.
Should they reboot their old MySpace page? Or perhaps dig out their dusty photograph albums from the back of the cupboard?
The social media giants had been affected in areas throughout the United States and Europe, as well as some parts of South America, Australia and New Zealand.
WhatsApp had also been affected. But thankfully for mates’ holiday planners everywhere, it was not battered to the same extent.
Taking to Twitter – which was fortunately still meme-ing away – Police in Canterbury, New Zealand wrote the following message to frantic would-be scrollers:
We know. Our Facebook and Instagram haven’t been working either.
Unfortunately we cannot do anything about this because, you know, they’re based in America and we’re the Police. So please don’t call us to report this. Pretty please.
The South Australia State Emergency Service also pleaded:
We know Facebook & Instagram are down. Please don’t call triple zero to let us know.
As reported by Daily Mail Australia, a spokesperson revealed the police had not actually received any calls regarding The Great Facebook Darkness, with the tweet intended to be a joke.
Tweeting about the earth shaking events in question, Facebook stated:
We’re aware that some people are currently having trouble accessing the Facebook family of apps. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
Facebook later tweeted to confirm the crash hadn’t been due to DDoS attack:
We’re focused on working to resolve the issue as soon as possible, but can confirm that the issue is not related to a DDoS attack.
Issues reported included difficulties logging into accounts and refreshing news feeds, as well as problems receiving messages. Some people even experienced complete blackouts.
All appears to be – touch wood – back to normal, with the feeds of Facebook and Instagram once again alive with reports of delicious mashed avocado brunches.
But let us not forget how for a few precious hours, influencers and proud pet parents alike were united in dismay as social media civilization momentarily crumbled.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.