On July 6 2023, an Imgur account shared a meme which referenced “unsolicited nude pics” sent by humans into space: The meme had two parts, including a simple line drawing of two naked humans at the bottom. Text appended to the top of the m
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ U.S. Navy Twitter Account Features Russian Ship on Independence Day Post
The U.S. Pacific Fleet — which calls itself the largest naval force of its type in the world — tweeted, then deleted a tweet marking the July 4th Independence Day holiday after a researcher pointed out that it used a photo depicting Russian
Truth or Fiction?→ Cartier Boss with $7.5 Billion Fears ‘Prospect of the Poor Rising Up’ Every Night
On July 3 and 4 2023, screenshots of a headline (“Cartier boss with $7.5bn fortune says prospect of the poor rising up ‘keeps him awake at night'”) spread in three popular iterations on Twitter (and in many scattered tweets): We’
Truth or Fiction?→ Crocodile ‘Virgin Birth’
On June 27 2023, the concept of parthenogenesis made its way around social media after an Imgur user shared a meme about a crocodile’s “virgin birth” in the form of a screenshot: Praise No date for the headline was visible in the sc
Truth or Fiction?→ The Missing Submarine and the ‘Logitech Controller’
On June 20 2023, “Logitech” trended on Twitter amid claims that a missing submersible that was intended to visit the remains of the Titanic was “controlled by a Logitech controller”: The Titanic tourist submarine that went mi
Truth or Fiction?→ Is the United States ‘Giving Away Free Lighthouses’?
In late May 2023, social media posts about the United States “giving away free lighthouses” appeared on sites like Reddit and Twitter: US to give away free lighthouses as GPS makes them unnecessary by u/diacewrb in nott
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Donald J. Trump Resuscitation Room’ at the White Plains Hospital
On June 6 2023, business reporter Max Abelson shared a photograph to Twitter which purportedly showed a “Donald J. Trump Resuscitation Room” at “the White Plains hospital”: A real thing in the White Plains hospital pic.twitte
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida Judge Hinkle Grants Gender-Affirming Care Injunction: ‘Gender Identity is Real’
On June 6 2023, several Reddit users submitted posts about a Florida judge’s ruling on gender-affirming care in the state, indicating a significant development: Federal judge blocks Florida’s ban on gender-affirming care for trans yo
Truth or Fiction?→ NYPD ‘ACAB’ Pride Car
In early June 2023, a post on r/WhitePeopleTwitter referenced a New York Police Department (NYPD) “Pride” vehicle, notable because the phrase “All Colors Are Beautiful” appeared in the Pride Month design motif: [A]l
Truth or Fiction?→ Elon Musk’s Pride Tweet
As Pride Month kicked off in June 2023, a post featuring a tweet attributed to Twitter owner Elon Musk was shared to Reddit’s r/WhitePeopleTwitter: From woke to joke by u/DemocracyStan in WhitePeopleTwitter The Reddi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Banner for This Juneteenth Event Feature Two White People?
A popular image featuring a banner showing white people while promoting a national holiday with roots in Black American history is legitimate — and showed the source of criticism around a Juneteenth event in Greenville, South Carolina. The photog
Truth or Fiction?→ Anthony Bourdain on Henry Kissinger
On May 26 2023, multiple accounts shared a quote attributed to celebrity chef and travel correspondent Anthony Bourdain, on the topic of former American diplomat Henry Kissinger and his legacy in Cambodia: Henry Kissinger turns 100 by
Truth or Fiction?→ Anti-Immigrant Claims Involving Homeless ‘Veterans’ Fall Apart
A group of homeless men in New York state were tricked into posing as veterans for the purposes of spreading a story shaming asylum seekers, the Mid-Hudson News reported on May 19 2023. “It was brought to my attention that two people came to the
Truth or Fiction?→ Disney ‘Pulls Plug’ on Billion Dollar Florida Campus
On May 18 2023, a flurry of posts about Disney “pulling the plug” on a billion-dollar planned investment began appearing across social media, with popular posts on r/politics and r/LeopardsAteMyFace (twice): Disney Pulls Plug on
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Immunologist Group Post Video of Their Members Dancing Without Masks?
A video posted by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) has drawn attention online for showing members partying without wearing masks, despite the potential risk for patients they might encounter after leaving the event. The AAI posted a 20-s
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Loggers, Roofers, Construction Workers, Sanitation Workers … All Have Statistically More Dangerous Jobs Than Cops’
On April 12 2023, an Imgur user uploaded a screenshot of a tweet asserting that workers in certain professions (logging, roofing, and sanitation among them) had “statistically more dangerous jobs” across the board than law enforcement offic
Truth or Fiction?→ 2013 Video of Pat Robertson Discussing Transgender People Resurfaces
On March 29 2023, amid escalating attacks on transgender people, journalist Miguel Petrosky shared a clip of far-right televangelist and disinformation purveyor Pat Robertson purportedly espousing a message of tolerance: This video of Pat Robertsonâ€
Truth or Fiction?→ FDA Approves Narcan for Over-The-Counter Sales
On March 29 2023, a popular post to Reddit’s r/UpliftingNews and a viral tweet both reported that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had approved over-the-counter sales of Narcan: Today, the US FDA approved Narcan (naloxone) n
Truth or Fiction?→ Wyoming, Obamacare, and Abortion Bans
On March 28 2023 a Reddit user shared an image-based post, which contained a claim that a proposed abortion ban in Wyoming was “blocked due to [an] Obamacare-era amendment”: Wyoming abortion ban blocked due to Obamacare era amend
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ruby Bridges’ Movie Banned in Florida School
On March 28 2023, popular posts on Reddit and Twitter referenced a controversy over a movie about Ruby Bridges at an elementary school in Florida. Journalist Judd Legum published a Twitter thread about the film Ruby Bridges, and summarized the events
Truth or Fiction?→ Google Maps ‘Shooting in Nashville’ Marker
Following the March 27 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Tennessee, a purported Google Maps screenshot referencing the incident was shared to Reddit’s r/ABoringDystopia: Dystopian Maps Alert. Welcome to the US. by u/take
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Photo From the France Pension Strike Last Week Goes So Hard’
On March 14 2023, the account @UnionDrip shared a photograph to Twitter, adding that the image, which was described as being “from the France pension strike” in March 2023 “goes so hard”: This photo from the France pension str
Truth or Fiction?→ Texas Judge Sought to ‘Hide’ Abortion Pill Hearing Information
On March 14 2023, a popular post to Reddit’s r/politics claimed that a Texas judge intended to “hide” an “abortion hearing,” linking to a post on the legal blog AboveTheLaw.com: As first reported by the Washington Post, Ju
Truth or Fiction?→ Etsy Sellers Affected by SVB Collapse
After the collapse of tech-industry favorite Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) on March 10 2023 (quickly followed by the collapses of Signature Bank and Silvergate), several popular social media posts indicated that sellers on the popular platform Etsy were ex
Truth or Fiction?→ Nikola Tesla: ‘You Will Live To See Man-Made Horrors Beyond Your Comprehension’ Quote
On March 9 2023, a Reddit user shared a quote about “man-made horrors beyond your comprehension” to the subreddit r/Damnthatsinteresting: A quote made by Nikola Tesla shortly before his death in 1943. He died bankrupt and alone d
Truth or Fiction?→ How the Court of Public Opinion Shifted on the Infamous McDonald’s Coffee Lawsuit
Derided for years as a comedic (at best) example of a frivolous lawsuit, the story of Stella Liebeck’s legal battle with the McDonald’s fast food chain has been the subject of a critical reappraisal. The 1994 case, Liebeck v. McDonalds, ste
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘A New Law In Iran … Forces Female Pharmacists’ to Wear a Black Hijab, Male Pharmacists ‘Are Wearing It As Well to Mock This Law’
A March 7 2023 post to Reddit’s r/interestingasfuck asserted that a then “new law in Iran” had mandated that female pharmacists wear black hijabs only (prohibiting other colors), adding that in response, male pharmacists wore their ow
Truth or Fiction?→ Iowa ‘Recouping’ Houses of Medicaid Recipients
On March 6 2023, a Reddit account shared a screenshot of a tweet about Iowa “recouping” the homes of Medicaid recipients with a sarcastic post to the subreddit r/WhitePeopleTwitter: Iowa leading the way in caring for its citizens
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook, Google Supplied User Data to Help Police Locate ‘Abortion Seekers’ in the United States?
On March 5 2023, popular posts on Reddit’s r/technology and r/politics featured an article claiming that Google and Facebook (Meta) supplied user data to police prosecuting “abortion seekers”: Facebook and Google are handin
Truth or Fiction?→ What Rupert Murdoch Said Under Oath About Fox News’ 2020 Election Claims
On February 28 2023, a popular post on Imgur asserted that Fox News “lied … about the 2020 election,” and that chairman and right-wing media mogul Rupert Murdoch testified to that fact under oath: Text on the meme was credited to Tw
Truth or Fiction?→ Einstein ‘Capitalism As It Exists Today’ Quote
On February 18 2023, a Facebook page shared the following quote meme, attributing commentary about capitalism to scientist and inventor Albert Einstein: A watermark (“Redfish”) appeared at the top of the meme, and text at the bottom read &
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Goodyear Blimp Over Daytona’
On February 20 2023, an Imgur user shared a purported image of the Goodyear Blimp, flying over the Daytona 500 with a “don’t shoot” message on the side (a reference to a recent controversy over possible “spy balloons“): T
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Nikola Tesla Say ‘When You Understand That Every Opinion Is a Vision Full of Personal History …’
On February 16 2023, a metaphysics-focused Facebook page attributed a quote (“When you understand that every opinion is a vision full of personal history … you will begin to understand that every judgment is a confession”) to invento
Truth or Fiction?→ Trump, Ohio, Train Breaks, and Deregulation
On February 17 2023, the following image, which referenced former United States President Donald Trump, the February 3 2023 Ohio train derailment, and environmental regulations, appeared on Imgur and quickly made its way across platforms: A viral ima
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘To Save Money, Maybe You Should Skip Breakfast’ WSJ Headline
On February 15 2023, a popular tweet showed a screengrab of a purported headline (“To Save Money, Maybe You Should Skip Breakfast”) in the Wall Street Journal on February 14 2023: Groceries too expensive? Just stop eating, you poors. Als
Truth or Fiction?→ Sandy Hook Survivor at the Michigan State University Shooting
On February 14 2023, in the wake of a mass shooting at Michigan State University just hours before, several social media accounts claimed that a Sandy Hook survivor was a student there: One of my MSU students was from Sandy Hook. Her first grade t
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Elevator ‘Close Door’ Buttons Work?
On February 11 2023, a Reddit account on r/todayilearned resurrected a long-running rumor when they claimed that 80 percent of elevator “close door” buttons were not functional 80 percent of the time: TIL 80% of Elevator “Clos
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Graves of a Catholic Woman and Her Protestant Husband, Who Were Not Allowed to Be Buried Together, Holland, 1888’
On February 7 2023, Twitter account @historydefined shared an image described as the graves of “a Catholic woman and her Protestant husband,” buried side by side in neighboring cemeteries: The graves of a Catholic woman and her Protestant
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Tweet Large Marge Wrote Should Get Her Kicked Out of Congress’
During and after U.S. President Joe Biden’s February 8 2023 State of the Union address, “Large Marge” was a Twitter trend, referencing an outburst by far right conspiracy theorist Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) at the event.
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Tulsa the ‘First American City Attacked from the Air’ in 1921?
In February 2023, a 2013 Facebook post recirculated, indicating that the first American city to be “attacked from the air” was Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1921: In the image above, a sepia-toned image of people walking with their hands in the air