In October 2016, a Facebook user shared the following image of a purported “unsolicited card reader,” along with a nebulous warning to fellow users about the purported receipt of a an unexpected banking device in the mail: An image shows
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ A Fun Series of Events in Finland
On December 3 2019, Twitter user Matt Bruenig tweeted about a “fun series of events in Finland”: A fun series of events in Finland: 1. Postal service cuts pay of 700 sorters. 2. Strike called. 60k workers join in solidarity, shutting do
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Starbucks ‘PIG’ Cup Debate Amplified by a Police Chief’s Daughter?
An online dispute surrounding an unidentified police officer in Oklahoma and a local Starbucks took a turn in late November 2019 when someone claiming to be related to the officer’s supervisor chimed in on the side of police critics. “This
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Whole Foods Holiday Food Drive’ Post
A December 2 2019 Facebook status update excoriating Amazon and Whole Foods over a purported holiday food drive (and advising customers to move unpurchased items to the “donations” section) struck a chord and racked up tens of thousands of
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Images Show Tears of Grief, Tears of Change, Onion Tears, and Laughing Tears?
In December 2019, a months-old post by the Facebook page “Words of Women” that purportedly showed a four-square collection of tears produced by grief, change, laughter, and cutting onions continued to circulate: The status updat
Truth or Fiction?→ Dyslexie Font
In November 2017, the Facebook page “Feminist Info” shared a screenshot describing a font called “Dyslexie,” designed for people with dyslexia: That screenshot read: The Dyslexie font Graphic designer Christian Boer
Truth or Fiction?→ The Good Advice Hidden in a ‘Fun Funeral Facts’ Meme
Pointed advice in a popular Facebook meme are solid advice for consumers facing the tough decisions that come with the bereavement process, two experts told us. “People make the mistake of walking into the funeral home and treating the funeral h
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Jeff Bezos’ $98 Million ‘Gift’ to Homeless the Equivalent of $45 to a Person Earning $50,000 Annually?
On November 23 2019 @EatTheRichPod shared the following tweet, referencing volumes of laudatory headlines about Amazon chief executive officer Jeff Bezos donating $98 million to homeless people — asserting that Bezos’ generosity was equivalen
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Actually Photograph of an Albino Painted Wood Turtle?
A colorful photograph circulating online in November 2019 may be authentic, but experts we talked to suggested that readers should be wary of the source material. The striking photo was featured on Science and Space, a blog that has no bylines and no
Truth or Fiction?→ Allens Green Beans ‘My Wife Found This’ Facebook Post
On November 21 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post, claiming the images showed the contents of a can of Allens Green Beans, namely an unpalatable dead creature: Norwood said his wife purchased cans of Allens Cut Italian Green Be
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Now Listen You Rich People, Weep and Wail’ Tumblr Post or Bible Verse?
In November 2019, a Tumblr screenshot beginning “now listen you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you” was shared to the Facebook group “Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s Revolutionary Meme Stash̶
Truth or Fiction?→ Are Koalas ‘Functionally Extinct’ as of November 2019?
In November 2019, Facebook page “The Other 98%” was among others on social media sharing the news that koalas had become “functionally extinct” after bushfires in Australia: Under a photograph of a koala that appeared to
Truth or Fiction?→ A Four-Megaton Atomic Bomb Was Lost off Georgia’s Coast in 1958 (And No One Knows If It’s Active)
In November 2019, the Facebook page “Weird History” shared the following meme, which claimed that a four-megaton atomic bomb remained missing near Georgia — and that it might be live: Under an image of a Cold War-style bomb or missil
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Treason for the Season’
On November 19 2019, a purported Fox News “Treason for the Season” chyron was shared to two subreddits, r/CrappyDesign and r/theyknew: Treason for the season! from CrappyDesign Both posts were titled “Treason
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘$60 Women’s Self-Defense Kit Sold by a Black-Owned Business’ Facebook Post
A popular November 17 2019 Facebook post purportedly shows a women’s self-defense kit in the style of a makeup bag, and the collection of stylish items was described as being sold by a black-owned business: Its image showed iridescent brass kn
Truth or Fiction?→ Are These Really Donald Trump’s Notes?
On November 20 2019, as United States’ ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony sent shockwaves through political and punditry circles, U.S. President Donald Trump gave a hasty press conference on his way to a flight to
Truth or Fiction?→ Greta Thunberg Time Traveller Picture
Around November 18 2019, several tweets compared photographs of Greta Thunberg side by side with a generations-old image of a girl with a strong resemblance to the young modern-day activist, suggesting that she is a “time traveler“: So
Truth or Fiction?→ Scary Movie ‘I See White People’ Mandela Effect
Among the nooks and crannies of the internet lurk new generations of paranormal stories, rumors of alternate universes, and shared institutional memories that are presented as proof of parallel timelines bleeding into one another in a broader theory p
Truth or Fiction?→ South Dakota’s $449,000 Anti-Meth Initiative Goes Viral — for the Wrong Reasons
South Dakota’s push to fight methamphetamine addiction won instant attention when it launched on November 18 2019 — but perhaps not for the reason Gov. Kristi Noem and state officials intended. According to the Sioux Falls Argus Leader newspap
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Students Today Depend on Paper Too Much, Don’t Know How to Write on a Slate’ 1815 Quote
In November 2015, Facebook page “The Credible Hulk” shared the following screenshot purportedly showing a lament from an 1815 school principal’s publication suggesting the students of the day had grown too dependent on paper, and la
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Little White Envelope for the Man Who Hated Christmas’ Posts
In November 2019, a nearly year-old “Maui 24/7” post titled “THE LITTLE WHITE ENVELOPE” (alternately: “the Man Who Hated Christmas”) circulated virally on social media: Text attached to an image told a heartstri
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Hong Kong Protester Looks Like a Post Apocalyptic Survivor’
On November 17 2019, the following image was shared to Reddit’s r/pics, titled: “Hong Kong Protester looks like a post apocalyptic survivor. May HK have the strength it needs to survive”: Hong Kong Protester looks like a p
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Chrome’s Reopen Closed Tab Gone?
If “Reopen Closed Tab” has disappeared from your Chrome browser, you’re not alone — a number of posts on Facebook and Twitter appeared as people saw the function began vanishing from their drop-down menus: Uhhhh Chrome is removin
Truth or Fiction?→ Goodstein’s ‘States of Matter’ Opening Quote
On November 15 2019, an Imgur user shared a screenshot of a tweet about the purported opening paragraph from a textbook by California Institute of Technology professor David Goodstein called States of Matter: The beginning to every book should have
Truth or Fiction?→ Does an Ohio Law Allow Students to Give Wrong Answers Because of Religious Belief?
On November 14 2019, several news outlets reported that a new law in Ohio allowed students to “give wrong answers” due to their “religious belief.” A widely-shared Patheos blog post on that day began as follows: Anti-intellectu
Truth or Fiction?→ Chef Uses Molecular Gastronomy to ‘Incredibly’ Bake a ‘Clear’ Pumpkin Pie?
An October 17 2019 post on the site CanYouActually.com, “Chef Uses Molecular Gastronomy To Incredibly Bake A Clear Pumpkin Pie,” racked up tens of thousands of shares across social media platforms: There’s nothing more traditional than p
Truth or Fiction?→ Did an Irish Suffragist Follow Winston Churchill for a Week Ringing a Bell Whenever He Tried to Speak?
In November 2019, the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared the following meme, about historical tensions between a suffragist from Ireland named Mary Maloney and Winston Churchill: Above a black and white image of a man on a stage, a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Americans are So Brainwashed, They Think They Won the Space Race’ Meme
On November 9 2019, a post to Reddit’s r/socialism made a titular claim that Americans “think they won the space race”: Americans are so brainwashed that they think they won the space race. from socialism Ano
Truth or Fiction?→ Lawmaker Brings World War II Discharge Letter to Light Online
A New Jersey congressman attracted some attention online with a historical post apropos of Veterans Day in November 2019 — and some skepticism. “I’d like to share a letter that a constituent of mine recently found in the papers of her fa
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Old Farmer’s Almanac Predict an Alarming Number of Snowstorms This Winter?
A November 1 2019 ReturnToNow.net post headlined “Old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts An Alarming Number of Snowstorms This Winter” was shared tens of thousands of times on Facebook. and was likely to continue spreading. ReturnToNow.net is cl
Truth or Fiction?→ Northeast Police Department ‘Shopping Cart’ Arrest Controversy
On November 5 2019, the Facebook page “Northeast Police Department (Texas)” shared a post prefaced with “CART AND SAVE,” about the arrest of an individual using a shopping cart to transport groceries from a store to their home
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Lucy Liu an Acclaimed Artist Known for Her Lesbian Paintings Under the Pseudonym Yu Ling?
On November 5 2019, a Facebook user shared the following post about actor Lucy Liu, indicating they were “today years old” when they discovered Liu was an accomplished artist under a pseudonym (“Yu Ling”) in addition to her act
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Modesto Is Woke,’ ‘Epstein Was Murdered’ Traffic Sign
On November 6 2019, the following post was shared to Reddit’s r/pics, featuring a roadside traffic sign reading “Epstein was murdered” in digitized text: Modesto CA is woke from pics At the time the image was
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Jeff Bezos Cut Whole Foods Workers Benefits as He Bought a Second Mansion?
On November 4 2019, former United States Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted that Jeff Bezos was building a mansion in Washington, DC — while at the same time, part-time Whole Foods workers lost their health benefits: Jeff Bezos' D.C. mansio
Truth or Fiction?→ Attempted Voter Suppression in Edison, New Jersey?
On Election Day 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph alongside a post (archived here) claiming the woman in the photo was an election worker who attempted to prevent someone from voting without identification. In a post, Kristen Vaught Cavuto imp
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘No Escape From Telephones’: Pacific Bell Chief’s 1953 Prediction Sees New Life Online
A telecommunications president’s remarkably far-flung vision for his industry not only gained attention online in 2019, it is actually legitimate. It is likely that Mark R. Sullivan’s remarks at an unidentified April 1953 event were first
Truth or Fiction?→ Lyft’s Unclear Terms of Service for Sexual Assault Survivors
Ride-sharing company Lyft came under increased scrutiny online in November 2019 as social media users spotted an apparent discrepancy in its policies regarding its treatment of sexual assault victims. “I think what we saw happen in the last 24,
Truth or Fiction?→ David Bowie Meeting an Child With Autism at ‘Labyrinth’ Premiere
On October 27 2019, Facebook user Micah Daigle shared what appeared on first glance to be a secondhand anecdote about a friend’s touching introduction to David Bowie at a premiere of the film Labyrinth in 1986. A photograph of David Bowie holdi
Truth or Fiction?→ Bill Murray’s Advice on Relationships, If You Think You Found ‘the One’
A long-circulating October 2015 Facebook post for the “92.1 CITI” page featured an image of actor Bill Murray alongside his purported advice on what to do when you think you find “the one”: Text under a photograph of a typi
Truth or Fiction?→ Bride Steals $30k in Wedding Donations Then Asks for More?
On November 4 2019, a Reddit user shared the following thread to r/ChoosingBeggars, asserting they were a Facebook friend to a bride (engaged woman) who had raised $30,000 for a wedding — only to cancel it at the last minute and disclose that she pl