On November 1 2019, the Facebook page “Witches Night” shared an image set and with it a post claiming that people in Poland — a Catholic majority country — do not celebrate Halloween, instead broadly directing that seasonal attenti
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ The Economics of Turning Cotton Into Jeans
A long-running graphic illustrating some of the costs of the making a pair of blue jeans has been revived again on Facebook, but unlike many memes that appear and reappear time and again, it is largely accurate. The graphic originated in November 201
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Halloween 2020 a Saturday With a Full Moon and When the Clocks Go Back?
On Halloween in 2020, a meme circulated on Facebook about purported features of Halloween 2020: Alongside a post suggesting Halloween “2020 could be a little crazy,” a screenshot of a text-based status update meme read: Next Halloween:
Truth or Fiction?→ Does Adding Your Birth Year to Your Age Total The Year Number Once a Millennium?
In September 2019, a social media post shared the following math meme, claiming that a numerical rarity in 2019 made it so that “all the people are the same age,” and that no one could explain the anomaly: What appeared to be a literal s
Truth or Fiction?→ Have Gender Reveal Parties Killed More People Than Anti-Fascists?
On October 31 2019, a Facebook page shared a text-based status update asserting that gender reveals had caused more deaths than antifascist protesters, popularly referred to as “antifa”: That status update appeared to reference a gender
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Forensic Pathologist Say That Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Looks More Like Homicide Than Suicide?
On October 30 2019, media and its social counterpart were awash in a bombshell claim that a pathologist said that Jeffrey Epstein’s death looked more like a homicide than a suicide: Jeffrey Epstein's autopsy shows signs of homicide, not su
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Ears are Straight, Fawn is Great, Ears are Curled, Fawn is Alone in the World’ Wildlife Rescue Meme
In October 2019, the Facebook page “Wild Souls Wildlife Rescue and Rehab” shared a following meme advising people to leave fawns with straight ears alone, because “curled ears” are indicative that a young deer has been abando
Truth or Fiction?→ Trick-Or-Treating at an ‘Old Folks Home’ Facebook PSA
On October 27 2019, the Facebook page “Mommy&Kids” shared a status update meme against a spooky-themed background, advising parents of “littles” to spend some of their Halloween evening trick-or-treating at an “old f
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Game of Thrones’ Showrunners’ Panel Gets Internet Attention for the Wrong Reasons
An appearance by the showrunners behind the recently-concluded series Game of Thrones drew heavy attention online on October 26 2019 through an unofficial source covering the event on Twitter: David is describing the pre-meeting with GRRM who was que
Truth or Fiction?→ The Sad Backstory of the ‘Woman Yelling at a Cat’ Meme
On October 26 2019, a Facebook user shared a PSA involving the popular meme often called “woman yelling at a cat,” stating that the image’s ubiquity led them to research the origins of the image: After seeing this image on many diffe
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Lonely? Don’t Be. Demodex is the Name of a Mite that Lives on Your Face. Friends Forever!’ Meme
On October 25 2019, the Facebook page “Cheerful Nihilism” shared the following meme, purportedly depicting a Demodex mite, which according to the meme lives on human faces: Above an apparent illustration of an alien-like insect, text r
Truth or Fiction?→ The Most Chilling Mushrooms in the World — the Charms of the Fungi Kingdom
On August 14 2019, the Facebook page “Freaked” shared the following post of the “most chilling mushrooms” in the world, a post that became popular ahead of Halloween that year: Above four purported examples of mushrooms (an
Truth or Fiction?→ Hospital’s ‘$39.95 Fee to Hold a Baby’ Controversy
On October 19 2019, a Facebook page shared the following screenshot of a tweet, including what looked to be a hospital bill with a $39.95 charge for “skin to skin contact” after a mother’s cesarean section: In the original tweet w
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Smart Car Owner Park His Auto Inside His Kitchen to Avoid Hurricane Damage?
Even for social media, a snapshot of a Florida man’s zeal for hurricane preparedness was recycled seemingly within hours, and wound up getting online traction on two different platforms. Jessica Eldridge first gained attention online on Septembe
Truth or Fiction?→ Soccer Player’s Hijab Slips, Opponents Stop Playing to Help Her Cover Her Hair?
On October 24 2019, author Glennon Doyle shared the following video, which purportedly shows the moment a football (or soccer) player’s opposing team rushes to assist her when her hijab begins slipping: Doyle summarized her reaction to the vi
Truth or Fiction?→ Jewish Prisoners Liberated from a Train in Madgeburg in April 1945
On October 22 2019 a Reddit user shared the following image to r/pics, purportedly depicting a moment during World War II when Jewish prisoners learned they had been liberated from a train traveling to a death camp: This is such a powerful
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘This Is Canada, This Is the United States’ Border Meme
On October 20 2019, a Facebook user shared the following meme which showed a snowy road labeled “This is the United States” to the left side, and “This is Canada” to the right: Underneath the photographic portion of the meme,
Truth or Fiction?→ Daniel Everett and the Amazonian Tribe that ‘Deconverted’ Him
A former evangelist’s journey to becoming an advocate for a tribe native to the Brazilian Amazon rainforest has endured not only through his own efforts, but through the reproduction online of a famous photograph of him. In October 2019, a Reddi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Rolling Stone’ List of Top 100 Singers of All Time
On October 20 2019, the Twitter account “Classic Rock in Pics” shared a purported Rolling Stone magazine list of the top 100 singers of all time: Rolling Stone Magazine list of Top 100 Singers of All Time. Thoughts?https://t.co/nq2WAO
Truth or Fiction?→ Did a Coney Island Sideshow Save Hundreds of Premature Babies in the Early 1900s?
On October 15 2019, a Facebook post with images relayed a purported history of neonatology and the role of a man named Dr. Martin Couney, who created a sideshow of tiny infants as a way of covering the costs of saving premature babies: Black-and-w
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Consuming Too Much Coffee Under Stress Cause Schizophrenia Symptoms?
On October 15 2019, the Facebook page “Weird Facts” shared the following “fact meme,” which claimed that the combination of a lot of coffee and a lot of stress could cause symptoms of schizophrenia — presumably in people no
Truth or Fiction?→ Zinaida, Get Your Gun
On October 16 2019, a Tumblr screenshot was shared to Imgur and the Facebook page “Revolution Porn”; the post contained an illustration of a young girl reaching for a gun as a man in Nazi regalia looked the other way with text about the s
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Taco Bell Meat Contaminated with Metal Shavings?
On October 15 2019, an Imgur user shared the following screenshot of a purported Newsweek article, which appeared to be reporting on a Taco Bell recall involving meat contaminated with metal shavings: Its submitter’s title joked that “the
Truth or Fiction?→ Do People Ingest Five Grams of Plastic Per Week?
On October 15 2019, the Facebook page “Using Less Plastic” shared a meme which claimed that “a new study” had found that humans ingested an average of five grams of plastic per week, about the same amount contained in an avera
Truth or Fiction?→ Mount Rushmore Before Carving
In October 2019, a post circulated showing a natural rock formation known as “Six Grandfathers” before it was carved into what most Americans now call “Mount Rushmore.” The original tweet was shared in July 2017 by @TheAriDee:
Truth or Fiction?→ Frida Kahlo: ‘You Deserve a Lover’
In October 2015, the Facebook page “Sacred Dreams” shared an image and purported quotation attributed to Frida Kahlo, sometimes referenced in shorthand as “you deserve a lover”: Alongside a suspiciously modern-appear
Truth or Fiction?→ Was $6 an Hour in 1980 Equivalent to More Than $18 Today?
In October 2019, the following image (essentially a “Boomers vs. Millennials” debate) appeared, claiming that a $6 wage in 1980 was equivalent to $18.73 in January 2017: An apparent Tumblr screenshot began: my internship boss was
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Columbus Set Out to Prove the Earth Was Round’
In October 2019, a number of memes about the legacy of Italian explorer Christopher Columbus circulated on Facebook around Columbus Day, among them a meme about the claim that he “proved” that Earth is round: In the above meme, the
Truth or Fiction?→ The ‘Inspirational’ History of KFC’s Colonel Sanders
The man behind the Kentucky Fried Chicken fast food chain led a truly colorful life, but a recurring meme dating back at least as far as 2016 obscures the facts in favor of presenting a more “inspirational” version. One version of the purp
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Four in Ten Cancer Patients Really Lose Their Life Savings?
An October 11 2019 Imgur repost of a Bernie Sanders tweet appeared alongside the caption “this is how you know he would fight for the people if he is elected our president”: That tweet read: It’s not coincidental that the top health
Truth or Fiction?→ Do Smiling Babies Have to Look Away from People Because They’re ‘Overwhelmed with Joy’?
An October 10 2019 post to Reddit’s r/wholesomememes featured an uplifting claim by way of screenshot, claiming that when babies first start “emoting,” they have to look away after a few seconds of smiling: Overwhelming jo
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original Super Mario Bros Only 40 KB (While Modern Screenshots of One Frame Are 283 KB)?
In October 2019, the following post appeared on Reddit’s r/gaming, claiming that the original Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) title Super Mario Bros. was 40 KB (kilobytes) of data, and the appended modern screenshot contained a comparative
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Toddler Subjected to Months of Abuse Because of a ‘Cookie’ Analogy?
In September 2019, a Facebook user shared an image and a harrowing story about the purported sexual abuse of a toddler that went unreported for months because the young girl supposedly was not taught anatomically correct words: Alongside a photograph
Truth or Fiction?→ Was a Protest Banner Unfurled at Trump’s Las Vegas Hotel?
A protest video against United States President Donald Trump circulated online on October 9 2019 drew heavy attention online for its message on a computer-generated banner: A video shows the “banner” seemingly being unfurled at the Trump
Truth or Fiction?→ ’95-Year-Old Former President Jimmy Carter Building a House With a Black Eye’ Meme
On October 8 2019, a Reddit user shared the following animated image to r/gifs, purportedly showing former United States president Jimmy Carter building homes for Habitat for Humanity while still visibly recovering from a fall-related injury (as evid
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Facebook ‘Default Setting’ Sign Users Up for Recurring Donations?
As we have said many times, any Facebook post that begins with a variation of “copied from a friend” should raise suspicions. Despite this, users of the social media platform continue to do their part to spread misinformation and disinform
Truth or Fiction?→ If You Made $5,000 a Day Starting in 1492, Would You Still Have Less Money Than Jeff Bezos?
On October 7 2019, a screenshot of a tweet began circulating across the internet. It read: If you worked every single day, making $5000/day, from the time Columbus sailed to America, to the time you are reading this tweet, you would still not be a bi
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook #HocusPocus ‘Witch Checker’
In early October 2019, a Facebook status update meme appeared with the claim that people who type #HocusPocus into comments of a post could activate Facebook’s “witch checker” feature: Myriad posts involving re-worded variants o
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Sometimes Dogs or Wolves in Movies Need CGI Tails Because They’re So Excited to be Doing a Good Job Acting’
On October 6 2019, the following post spread rapidly on Facebook, concerning wolves and dogs in the movie industry and how they may sometimes need computer-generated editing to make them look less happy or excited: View post on imgur.com Beneath an
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Rolex Sales Records Help Solve a Murder?
In September 2019, a Reddit r/todayilearned post claimed that luxury watch manufacturer Rolex maintained such “meticulous” sales records that their data was used to solve an open homicide: TIL of The Rolex Murder. On July 28, 19