Remember the old saying – 'whatever you post on the internet will stay there forever'? It also means that we should think hard before posting anything online.

This is a lesson we can all learn from Twitter user Naomi's unfortunate and disastrous interaction with someone online. The entire episode is a little bit sad and very cringeworthy. So, settle in because this is a short yet wild ride.

It all started with Naomi expressing her excitement by posting a tweet about how she got an internship at NASA. It's a commendable achievement; we have to give her that, anyone would be excited about it.

But, then someone disagreed with her use of the word '****' and told her to mind her language, full Captain America style.

Okay, her use of the word was understandable, if not justified. It's okay, you get excited and you say stuff, happens to everyone.

But, things took a cringe-y turn soon.

She replied with this –

Well, it's not a nice thing to say to someone, especially someone you don't know. What I don't understand is how and why she didn't go through the person's profile before replying, and that too replying that aggressively.

Turns out the guy is Homer Hickam, an author, Vietnam veteran, and the NASA engineer who trained the first Japanese astronauts. Yep, he's a big deal and he made sure to tell her that.

The interaction is deleted now, but screenshots live forever. Remember when I said everything on the internet lasts forever?

The screenshots soon went viral with surprisingly divided opinions on the matter.

Someone just accepted that something like this happened because 2018 is the year of unbelievable things happening.

A furry became an intern for NASA and got instantly fired after telling someone on their council to suck their dick because this is 2018. pic.twitter.com/XL7jvCKFFj

— Michelle Catlin (@CatlinNyaa) August 21, 2018

Umm.

Hey God. pic.twitter.com/06liEuIpn0

— Chidi Okereke (@Chydee) August 22, 2018

Some people wanted to take this as a lesson on social media.

There's a lesson in this. https://t.co/0gAxkb6dPu

— Toussaint Egan (@TheSaintOfTous) August 21, 2018

Kids, be careful on the Internet & don't do dumb things. If you're working for a public institution you'll have to (like it or not) be more conscious with words
Homer was cool abt the situation but sadly other people weren't and they were the ones who insisted the girl be fired. https://t.co/0WnYp9TOad

— Erna Mahyuni (@ernamh) August 22, 2018

This person raised a valid point.

I can't believe @NASA gave an internship to someone who didn't know who Homer Hickem was.

— America Offline ð¾ (@Cheechard) August 21, 2018

Some people thought she was right.

Wow, Homer Hickam is kind of a jerk. Naomi did the right thing, this hectoring old dullard needs to be told off more. https://t.co/OUydOXzhAi

— Agouti still believes in the railing system (@bitterkarella) August 21, 2018

And, some others laughed at people defending her.

An intern told an overseer of NASA to suck her "dick and balls", and there are actually people in the comments who think firing her was an abuse of power LOL https://t.co/D0YVFmOIJX

— HugS (@HugS86) August 21, 2018

After so much controversy, Homer Hickam decided to clear the air and said he had nothing to do with her firing. In a blog (https://homerhickamblog.blogspot.com/) post, he wrote:

“I'm a Vietnam vet and not at all offended by the F-word. However, when I saw NASA and the word used together, it occurred to me that this young person might get in trouble if NASA saw it so I tweeted to her one word: "Language" and intended to leave it at that.

Soon, her friends took umbrage and said a lot of unkind things but long after I was gone as I immediately deleted my comments and blocked all concerned.

Later, I learned she had lost her offer for an internship with NASA. This I had nothing to do with nor could I since I do not hire and fire at the agency or have any say on employment whatsoever. As it turned out, it was due to the NASA hashtag her friends used that called the agency's attention to it long after my comments were gone.”

Moreover, he even tried getting her reinstated. He wrote, “She reached out to me with an unnecessary apology which I heartily accepted and returned with my own. After talking to her, I am certain she deserves a position in the aerospace industry and I'm doing all I can to secure her one that will be better than she lost. I have also talked to the folks that had to do with her internship and made absolutely certain that there will be no black mark on her record.”

Well, this was a rollercoaster ride, so many ups and downs. It also showed a big downside of social media. Wow! It could be like a small plot of 'Black Mirror' or something.