9 unfortunate cases of social media mistaken identity

From Digital Spy

There was a time when sharing a name with a famous person was a badge of honour at best, or occasional fun-poking in the pub at worst. Then social media came along and made every click of the 'Mentions' tab a living nightmare.

If you though a bit of schoolyard ribbing was tough, spare a thought for these poor souls…

1. @EdwardSnowden – a horseracing fan, not a whistleblower

Not famous: @EdwardSnowden

Famous: @snowden

Getting through US immigration can be terrifying at the best of times, but we can't imagine the rough ride the British Edward Snowden gets when he goes on his summer holidays.

@EdwardSnowden loves his family, friends, horseracing and football, but he's definitely not into whistleblowing, or "helping ISIS" as one Twitter user recently asserted. Unlike his namesake, he might not require a Presidential pardon, but he will accept a Green Card from Obama if there's one going spare.

2. @JohnLewis – a teacher, not a shop

Not famous: @JohnLewis

Famous: @JohnLewisRetail

Imagine waking up to the Twitterverse complimenting you on how comfortable your knickers are? Welcome to the world of Mr John Lewis (@JohnLewis), a computer science teacher from Blacksberg, Virginia, for whom every day is a Christmas commercial.

3. @TheAshes – a mom, "not a freakin' cricket match"

Not famous: @TheAshes

Famous: It doesn't have a twitter account, it's a series of cricket matches

We can all agree that The Ashes is a pretty big deal if you're British or Australian. However, if you're a young lady from Massachusetts in the United States... well, not so much.

After being inadvertently embroiled in the endless repartee of an Ashes series, poor Ashley Kerekis – who earned the nickname from her boyfriend - had finally had enough: "I'M NOT A FREAKIN' CRICKET MATCH!" she exclaims on her bio.

4. @StevenAvery – a senior citizen, not a convicted killer

Not famous: @StevenAvery

Famous: He's in prison, so not very active on social media

Retired Canadian Steven Avery has 4 tweets to his name and the egg for an avatar. Still, his Twitter bio reads: "A retired senior from Canada, nothing to do with the convicted killer in the USA."

Thanks for nothing, Making A Murderer.

5. @rvp – a tech executive, not a footballer

Not famous: @rvp

Famous: @Persie_Official

@rvp was brilliant for Arsenal, won the league with United and scored one of the best goals of the 2014 World Cup. Oh wait! @rvp is actually Ravi VS Prasad, co-founder & co-chief executive at Telecom Industry Consultants and not Dutch footy star Robin van Persie?

"I use Twitter for serious business purposes and my corporate clients follow me at @rvp for my views and opinions on telecom and information technology," he told Forbes.

You hear that, football fans? He uses Twitter for serious business, not making fun of his own goal in the Euros. Incredibly, @rvp once bonded on Twitter with fellow abuse recipients @avb and @Moysesy too.

6. @JeremyHunt – a singer, not one of Britain's most hated politicians

Not famous: @jeremyhunt

Famous: @jeremy_hunt

This one reminds us of the movie Office Space, when the character Michael Bolton says, "Why should I change my name? He's the one who sucks!"

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt is so universally disliked thanks to the ongoing junior doctors' contract row that he's even replaced James Blunt in the cockney rhyming slang dictionary. Sharing a name with the unpopular MP doesn't lead to many complimentary Twitter mentions, as US Christian and gospel singer-songwriter (who has albums on iTunes) @JeremyHunt can attest.

7. @TomBradby – a news anchor, not a US footballer

UK famous: @TomBradby

USA famous: Not on twitter

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady splits opinion in the United States. If you're from the New England area, he's the second coming, treasured in Boston folklore alongside Norm from Cheers. If you're from one of the other 44 states, he's a no-good, cheating, ball-deflating, Ugg boot-wearing, supermodel-marrying sonofabitch. News At Ten anchor Tom Bradby gets both the loving...

... and loathing

8. @WillSmith – a tech journo, not the Fresh Prince

Not famous: @willsmith

Famous: Not on Twitter

Mistaken identity on Twitter isn't always a bad thing, especially if you share a name with one of the most beloved actors in Hollywood, as tech journo @willsmith has learned.

Most of us wouldn't mind receiving tweets calling us the "Greatest of All Time" even if we were a middle-aged white dude with a beard, rather than one of the world's biggest movie stars.

9. Okay, we're not touching this one

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