Was this United Nations tweet the biggest typo in Twitter history? (Instagram)Social media's greatest asset is also its greatest liability: the ability to reach millions of people around the world with the click of a button.
Such was the case on Thursday, when the United Nations accidentally published a tweet calling for a "1-state solution" to the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
At 2 p.m. on Thursday, this tweet went out to @UN's 1,132,872 followers:
"On Day of Solidarity with Palestinians, Ban Ki-moon stresses urgency of reaching 1-state solution."
However, the tweet also linked to a U.N. press release calling for a two-state solution in the troubled region.
The tweet typo was especially ill-timed coming on the heels of a historic and controversial U.N. vote to give de facto statehood recognition to the Palestinians, despite objections from the U.S. and Israel.
Instagram user Dan Ming was quick to highlight the typo, calling it a "typo of epic proportions."
The offending tweet was quickly deleted and then replaced with one reading:
"On Day of Solidarity w/ Palestinians, Ban Ki-moon stresses urgency of reaching 2-state solution (corrected tweet)"
The United Nations Twitter account was quick to fix and acknowledge its typo (Twitter)
The digital age certainly has seen its share of typos going viral. In May, the University of Texas was the subject of ridicule for a flier advertising its "Pubic Affairs" Department in a commencement announcement.
Still, the author of the offending U.N. tweet did elicit some sympathy in the social sphere. Twitter user BK Chambers wrote: "That 1 state tweet was possibly the biggest typo in Twitter history. But I feel so bad for the @UN social person. #happyhoursomewhere"