On August 9 2021, a Facebook post depicting a campground’s “text us” sign and a “teenager translation” went viral; iterations of the image were popular across social media: Every variation of the images of the signs we we
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Starlight Barking’
On August 6 2021, the Facebook page “Premium Internet Curation” shared screenshots of a Twitter thread, the latter pertaining to The Starlight Barking — a purportedly bizarre sequel to the book from which 101 Dalmatians was adapted
Truth or Fiction?→ Ranking of the Most Common Birthdays
On August 5 2021, a Facebook account shared a purported list of “most common birthdays,” asking “Sooo I rank #154 of the most common birthdays… wbu ”: As of August 6 2021, the post had been shared more than 76,000 times.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Japan’s Olympic Medals Made From Recycled Electronics?
On August 6 2021, an Imgur account shared the following image, which purportedly showed Japan’s 2021 Olympic medals, fashioned from recycled laptops and phones: Titled “Congrats on winning, here is some e-waste,” text above an image
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Zabol Priestess with a Golden Eye’
An August 4 2021 retweet imploring archeologists not to remove a golden eye from an unusually tall woman’s skeleton found in Zabol, Iran circulated across platforms, an allusion of sorts to the “2020 bingo” meme: Do. Not. Remove. T
Truth or Fiction?→ Did the Italian Football Club Juventus Post a Photo with a Racist Anti-Asian Gesture?
The Italian football club Juventus spent August 5 2021 apologizing after posting — and then quickly deleting — a photograph featuring an anti-Asian racist taunt. The club’s womens’ team tweeted the photo showing defender Cecili
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘On This Day in 1944, Polish Resistance Fighters Liberated 348 Jewish Prisoners from the Gęsiówka Labor Camp’
On August 5 2021, an Imgur account shared the following “on this day in history” meme about the liberation of the Gęsiówka labor camp in 1944: A “flair” (“Historical”) marker on the post suggested that it was a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Future Mercedes Drives Sideways’
On August 5 2021, an Imgur user shared a video they titled “Future Mercedes drive sideways,” which, as the title suggests, purportedly showed a futuristic-looking Mercedes-Benz with the ability to operate “sideways”: Future Mer
Truth or Fiction?→ Taino Chief Hatuey’s Last Words Meme
On August 4 2021, prolific Imgur account OctopussSevenTwo shared a meme to Imgur which described the purported last words of Taíno chief Hatuey before being burned alive. One day prior, a Reddit account shared the same meme to r/Damnthatsinteresting
Truth or Fiction?→ Nikola Tesla ‘369 Theory’
In late 2020 and early 2021, a “369” or “3 6 9 method” purportedly derived from the words of Nikola Tesla were popular across various platforms (as versions of this quote): Tesla’s “3-6-9” quote varied across
Truth or Fiction?→ Lollapalooza Crowd 2021 Image
Between July 30 and August 1 2021, a purported photograph from the Lollapalooza 2021 music festival in Chicago went viral, hitting social media users a little differently against the backdrop of an ongoing pandemic. Perhaps the most prominent version w
Truth or Fiction?→ Statue of Buddha in a Flood
On August 2 2021, an Imgur account shared a TikTok clip, which purportedly showed a Buddha statue carried through floodwaters down a busy street: Later Fools! Shared by u/GIFBATTLECADDLE, the clip was titled “Later Fools!” On August 1 202
Truth or Fiction?→ Sea Cats and Passports
Variations on a July 2021 post about “sea cats” with their own passports were — understandably — reliably popular, with several iterations circulating on Facebook, Twitter, and Reddit: Think “working cats” is a new thing?
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Denzel Washington Say ‘Your Own Family’ Will Discredit You When You’re ‘Breaking Generational Curses’?
On July 28 2021, a Facebook page shared the following meme, which purportedly contained a Denzel Washington quote about “your own family,” who will “talk shit about you” when you’re “breaking all their generational c
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘China Received 8 Months of Rain in Just 5 Days’ in July 2021
On July 22 2021, the Facebook page “Green New Deal” shared an image and a status update about China’s recent torrential rains: China received 8 months of rain in just 5 days. The highest amount of precipitation since the measurements
Truth or Fiction?→ Banana Peel Water for Plants
On July 19 2021, a Facebook user in the group “Creative Gardening” shared their experience with “banana peel water” (also called “banana peel tea,”) including a photograph of their plants, apparently thriving thanks
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Hospital in France Allow Terminal Patients to Meet With ‘Peyo the Horse’?
The story of a French hospital’s unusual relationship with a former dressage horse — and the horse’s relationship with terminal patients there — recirculated online in July 2021. Interest in “Doctor Peyo” reignited f
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Doc and Marty Made it to 2021’
On July 21 2021, an Imgur account shared the following meme ( “Doc and Marty made it to 2021” ), which references two main characters in the Back to the Future films and showing Christopher Lloyd (Doc Brown) on the left, with Michael J. F
Truth or Fiction?→ Abraham Lincoln and the Samurai Fax Machine
On July 16 2021, the Facebook page “The memes your parents warned you about” shared a screenshot of a text message, which claimed that there was “a 22 year window” during which “a samurai could have sent a fax to Abraham L
Truth or Fiction?→ Snapchat Plant Identifier
On July 18 2021, a Facebook user shared a status update about a Snapchat plant identifier, also claiming that the function would work the same way in determining a dog’s breed: If you focus your Snapchat camera on ANY plant & hold the screen
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Wenche Thikke’
On July 11 2021, a Facebook account shared Tumblr screenshots to a public group which purportedly excerpted a ribald verse that included phrases familiar to the modern ear, including “this wenche thikke” and “I wol nat lye” fro
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Hundreds of Cars Are Lined Up Along Hwy 18 Into Mission, South Dakota as the Remains of Native Children Were Returned to Their Homelands’
On July 17 2021, a photograph described as showing “Hundreds of cars … lined up along Hwy 18 into Mission, South Dakota as the remains of Native children were returned to their homelands” was posted to Facebook, echoing a tweet from t
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Canadian Peanut Butter’ Packaging
On July 12 2020, a Facebook account shared a cropped Twitter screenshot, purportedly showing what Canadian peanut butter packaging looks like: An image of a styrofoam tray (akin to meat packaging) containing peanut butter was appended, and the text re
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Captain America 31 Years Ago’
On July 15 2021. an Imgur account shared a Twitter screenshot, purportedly depicting Captain America “31 years ago” — or, as of 2021, in 1990: Dean Cain: I can’t believe they just made Captain America all woke and criticizing the
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Cooks the Largest Occupational Group to Die in the Pandemic?
On July 14 2021, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a tweet claiming, in part, that “cooks were the largest occupational group to die in a pandemic”: I wish Anthony Bourdain were alive today to articulate the insanity of living in a cou
Truth or Fiction?→ Finland Reindeer Reflective Paint Posts
On July 10 2021 the Facebook group Illusions featured a striking image, purportedly depicting reindeer in Finland whose antlers are painted with reflective paint in order to prevent collisions with cars: An appended status update from a group member r
Truth or Fiction?→ Albert Einstein Lecturing a Black College Facebook Post
In February and May 2021, Facebook users shared a photograph of Albert Einstein along with a quote — “The separation of races is not a disease of colored people but a disease of white people. I do not intend to be quiet about it”: Not
Truth or Fiction?→ OGX DMDM Hydantoin Facebook Post
On July 5 2021, a Facebook account shared a post warning people about OGX brand shampoo and DMDM hydantoin, writing: **UPDATED** If you are not aware, these are some of the OGX shampoos that Johnson & Johnson is being sued over. They have a chemica
Truth or Fiction?→ Darnella Frazier’s Uncle Killed by Minneapolis Police
On July 7 2021, an Imgur account shared a tweet with a Facebook screenshot attributed to Darnella Frazier, who disclosed that her uncle was struck and killed by police in Minneapolis: Hold on hold on The innocent bystander who got killed today by MP
Truth or Fiction?→ The Pledge of Allegiance Was Adopted in 1923, the Star Spangled Banner Was Adopted in 1929 …
A June 2021 Facebook “historical facts” meme included imagery of the United States’ Founding Fathers, alongside other claims about when the country adopted specific acts of public patriotism: The text at the bottom of the meme addres
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Rebecca Washington Replacing Sha’Carri Richardson on the U.S. Olympic Team?
A pseudonymous Twitter account picked up the story of Sha’Carri Richardson’s exclusion from the U.S. Olympic team to spin up a rumor that quickly went viral. The post, which came from a Twitter account called the Victory News Network, said
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘U.S. Quietly Slips Out Of Afghanistan In Dead Of Night’ Onion Story
On July 6 2021, Twitter user @SIGSYS published two screenshots, one a satirical headline from The Onion in July 2011 about the United States having “quietly slip[ped] out of Afghanistan in [the] dead of night,” and a July 2021 Associated
Truth or Fiction?→ Donald Rumsfeld and Mount Misery
A July 1 2021 Facebook image of an unassuming house was shared after the death of former United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, alongside a post and video link claiming that the Bush administration official purchased and had lived at a place
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The History of Left-Handedness’
A June 30 2021 tweet (part of discourse about transgender youth) referenced a “left-handedness chart,” as a rhetorical response to questions about why there were “suddenly” “so many” gay, transgender, and non-binary
Truth or Fiction?→ Walmart ‘National Anthem’ Video
On July 3 2021, a Facebook account shared a video which purportedly showed a “spontaneous” rendition of the national anthem, performed by shoppers at a Walmart in Haslet, Texas: Alongside the video, the original poster added: Very Patriot
Truth or Fiction?→ Why Bill Cosby Was Released
A June 30 2021 Facebook post by writer and activist Shaun King about the overturning of Bill Cosby’s conviction received significant engagement both there and on Imgur: In the June 30 2021 post, Shaun King said that Cosby (who was convicted of
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘White Influencer Identifies As Korean’
In late June 2021, a screenshot of a headline (“White Influencer Now ‘Identifies As Korean’ After Getting Surgery To Look Like Pop Star”) circulated: That screenshot originated with a June 27 2021 LadBible item: A British influencer ha
Truth or Fiction?→ Volvo ‘Three Point Seat Belt’ Patent
On June 27 2021, the Facebook page “FACT” shared a meme about Volvo, the three-point seat belt, and how the feature purportedly became so common: Text underneath what looked like vintage photographs of drivers in vehicles read: When Volvo
Truth or Fiction?→ Big Thunder Mountain Kidney Stones Meme
In June 2021 (and in December 2020), the Facebook page “Did You Know” shared the following meme about Disney’s Big Thunder Mountain ride, and its purported effect on painful kidney stones: Underneath the “did you know? ”
Truth or Fiction?→ Were Black Soldiers Eligible for the GI Bill?
On June 18 2021, a commenter shared a Twitter screenshot to an education-related Facebook post about one of the provisions of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, popularly known as the GI Bill: Teaching students that WWII vets were give