In March 2019, a webcomic known as “Strange Planet” began dominating Facebook’s feed (as well as Instagram and Twitter), and in April 2019, rumors began circulating about creator Nathan W. Pyle’s purported anti-abortion positio
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ Wave of Garbage On the Dominican Republic’s Coast?
On March 18 2019 the Facebook page “Ascend (Podcast)” shared the following video (archived here), purportedly showing the shores of the Dominican Republic two days earlier: The status update read: ‘DEAD” Sea……&#
Truth or Fiction?→ Frida Kahlo: ‘Leaving is Not Enough’
A popular and lengthy social media quote attributed to Frida Kahlo (containing the lines “leaving is not enough” and “take a lover who looks at you like maybe you are magic”) was shared once again in early April 2019 on Faceboo
Truth or Fiction?→ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: ‘Socialism for the Rich, Rugged Individualism for the Poor’?
On April 2 2019, Facebook page “The Other 98%” shared a meme (archived here) with an apparent quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on “socialism for the rich” and “rugged individualism for the poor”: To the rig
Truth or Fiction?→ Monster Supercell in Burwell, Nebraska
On March 18 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) with the caption “monster supercell, burwell, nebraska”: Several commenters expressed their concerns for the original poster’s safety, while others pointed out
Truth or Fiction?→ Asylum-Seekers Held Under a Bridge in El Paso
On March 28 2019, a Twitter user shared the following tweet, purportedly showing a large number of people being detained under an overpass in El Paso, Texas: This concentration camp full of children is in El Paso, Texas, United States. It’s 2019. p
Truth or Fiction?→ Charles Kinsey Shooting
On March 20 2019, the following screenshot and text (archived here) was publicly shared on Facebook, accruing a six-figure share count in under a week: Charles Kinsey is his FUCKING NAME. Edit: the officer who shot him is Jonathon Aledda In the screen
Truth or Fiction?→ Pitcher Plant or ‘Penis Flytrap’
In March 2019, the following image was shared by Thailand Secrets (archived here), Pictures in History (original, archived here), “Historical Pictures” (archived here), Reddit r/mildlypenis, and Reddit r/misleadingthumbnails: Known a
Truth or Fiction?→ Tandem Nursing Milk Differences
A March 24 2019 post on the Facebook page “Breast is Best without Fear” (archived here) featured a purported image of different milks expressed by the “same mama,” thanks to nursing children of different ages and with separate
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Company Policies’ Poster
In March 2019, a poster of “Company Policies” spread on Facebook (archived here) and other sites, purportedly illustrating draconian — yet believable — rules for employees at an unidentified company: Many versions of the image appear
Truth or Fiction?→ Guardian Angel Crying at the Cradle of an Aborted Fetus?
A February 28 2019 Facebook post (archived here) shared the image reproduced above with the following text: I shared this picture a few minutes ago, then about 5 minutes after I shared it, the post was removed from my page and also from the page of wh
Truth or Fiction?→ Is a ‘Bizarre New Strain of Strep’ Causing a Rash and Infecting Sinuses?
On March 3 2019, a Canadian Facebook user shared a “public service announcement” about a purportedly bizarre and new strain of streptococcus aureus going around (post archived here.) The poster referenced a second post of hers (archived h
Truth or Fiction?→ 8 Mind-Blowing Transformations You Can Do at Home?
On March 16 2019, the Facebook page “Blossom” shared a video entitled “8 mind-blowing transformations you can do at home!” to its page and to Facebook Watch. The video raked in a massive 58 million views in just a few days, an
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Why Did Slaves Come to America?’ School Worksheet
In March 2019, two viral Facebook posts circulated with an image of an alarmingly inaccurate “Why Did Slaves Come to America?” worksheet. The viral Facebook posts were part of a larger controversy in February and March 2019 about myriad i
Truth or Fiction?→ Praying Emoji or High Five?
A long-circulating meme suggests that the “praying” emoji is definitively a “high five,” and a common iteration (seen above) shows a search for the term “highfive” with commentary such as “y’all be high
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This a World War II Photograph of Unwanted Babies for Sale in France?
On March 14 2019, the Facebook page “Pictures in History” shared an image (archived here) with the following status update: Unwanted babies for sale in France during World War II, 1940 This wasn’t this particular group’s fi
Truth or Fiction?→ Did James Charles Use a Racial Slur in Twitter DMs?
Late on March 12 2019, a Twitter user shared a link (archived here) to an unavailable tweet and claimed that beauty YouTuber James Charles called them a racial slur: In a follow up tweet (archived here), the user reiterated the claim. Those images c
Truth or Fiction?→ Was Brooke Shields Photographed for ‘Playboy’ at Age 10?
In March 2019, the following meme appeared (archived here), containing a claim that Brooke Shields had been photographed suggestively for Playboy magazine when she was just ten years old: The image featured a heavily made-up small girl who looked q
Truth or Fiction?→ Will Earth Lose Two-Thirds of its Animals by 2020?
In early March 2019, a Facebook user shared a screenshot (archived here) of a tweet sent the same day, which admonished followers of a scandal involving the Kardashian family. That post claimed that while readers were busy on Kardashian gossip, two-t
Truth or Fiction?→ If You Have Astigmatism, This Is What Lights Look Like
On February 28 2019, a Facebook user shared the image below (archived here) and commented: “So if u have astigmatism, then this is what lights look like to you. I always thought this was what they looked like for everybody”: The post was
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Real Momo Videos,’ Viral Hoaxes, and Ostension
In the aftermath of the March 2019 U.S. media frenzy surrounding the Momo challenge, a number of “real Momo videos” have opportunistically surfaced and quickly racked up large share counts. We came across several of the likely many survivi
Truth or Fiction?→ #911 Facebook Green Line or Snitch Meme
A long-circulating Facebook status meme of indeterminate claims that typing #911 in a comment will generate a green line or green bar, confirming that the user commenting is “not a snitch.” Variations of the meme (which date back to March
Truth or Fiction?→ Florida Plumber Finds Clog, Reticulated Python
A Facebook post featuring a photograph of a purported reticulated python found clogging a drain in Florida began circulating in February 2019: Individual and separate shares of the same image amassed tens of thousands of shares each, and users claime
Truth or Fiction?→ Safety Standards in the 1960s Chairlift Photo
On February 20 2019, the Facebook page Pictures in History shared a version of the photograph of a chairlift seen above simply captioned: “Safety standards in the 1960s.” The photograph was not new to the internet, and the meme-style versi
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Bit Windy Today’ Wind Turbine Failure Video
On February 22 2019, the Facebook page “What did I just see?” shared a video (linked here) captioned “Bit windy today,” purportedly depicting the failure of a wind turbine during an intense weather event: The clip quickly sp
Truth or Fiction?→ Meghan Markle’s Royal Portrait?
In February 2019, several Facebook posts appeared that purported to show the royal portrait of Meghan Markle, the actress turned Duchess of Sussex. In one popular version, the sharer lauded the fact that “they” (presumably the Queen) didn&
Truth or Fiction?→ Christmas Tradition of Women Begging Their Husbands for Forgiveness?
On February 24 2019, the Facebook page “Pictures in History” shared the following caption with the photograph seen above: A long forgotten Christmas tradition, women once used to beg their husbands for forgiveness from all of their wrongdoings and
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Viral Video Depict a Crab Eating Her Babies?
On February 20 2019, UNILAD shared a video to Facebook titled “Red Crab Eats Her Newborn Babies.” The clip was wildly popular, racking up millions of views and shares in under 24 hours (the video itself can be viewed here.) It was captioned
Truth or Fiction?→ Is This an Abandoned Button Factory Stairwell?
On February 15 2019, the Facebook page “Quartzsite Happenings” published the following photograph, captioned “Stairway in an abandoned button factory”: The compelling image began racking up shares, but it suspiciously lacked an
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Family Separation Genocide?
In February 2019, a mid-2018 tweet about family separations and the permanent and widespread transfer of children from their families to other people qualifying as genocide began recirculating. The tweet was initially published in June 2018, and it sai
Truth or Fiction?→ Heinz Ketchup Ingredients, U.S. vs UK
On February 14 2019, Vani Hari (popularly known as the “Food Babe” in the media) shared a graphic that compared the purported difference between Heinz Ketchup’s ingredient list in the United Kingdom versus the United States: The imag
Truth or Fiction?→ Violent, Disturbing Messages in Childrens’ Videos?
On February 12 2019, Facebook user Meridy Leeper shared an image purportedly of a drawing by her young child and the following message about suicidal ideation in small children apparently prompted by videos beneath parental radar on YouTube, TikTok,
Truth or Fiction?→ Subway Feeds Homeless People for Free?
On February 5 2019, a Facebook user shared a photograph and text claiming that homeless people could eat for free at Subway locations between 3 and 5 every afternoon: If you know any homeless please make them aware they can eat an drink free daily at s
Truth or Fiction?→ Can Apple Cider Vinegar and Coconut Oil Defeat Head Lice?
A December 2016 post on the Facebook page “Mummies & Daddies” circulates in perpetuity, continuing to spread misinformation about the effectiveness of apple cider vinegar (sometimes shortened to the initials ACV) and coconut oil as a tr
Truth or Fiction?→ Underground Railroad to Mexico?
On February 13 2019, a Facebook user shared a screenshot of a tweet, originally tweeted a day earlier by @HISTORY about a purported version of the Underground Railroad running south to Mexico: Text for the tweet read: Slaveholders knew that enslaved p
Truth or Fiction?→ Has Wu-Tang’s GZA Lectured on Quantum Physics at Harvard?
In February 2019, a #BlackHistoryMonth post on Facebook asserted that the Wu-Tang Clan’s GZA (also known as The Genius) is a scientist, has lectured at Harvard, and is educated in quantum physics: Above two photographs of GZA, text stated: Peopl
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Winston Churchill Say Socialism is the Philosophy of Failure?
On February 8 2019, a Facebook user shared the following meme, featuring images of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez above a purported quote from British wartime leader Winston Churchill: Underneath two identical images of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, it fea
Truth or Fiction?→ Are People of All Ages Allowed to Drink in Wisconsin?
On February 12 2019, the Facebook page “Did You Know” shared the following meme, claiming that people of all ages in the state of Wisconsin — including children — can legally consume alcohol: Against a black background, its text stat
Truth or Fiction?→ Is ‘Peppa Pig’ Giving American Kids British Accents?
In early February 2019, a number of outlets began reporting on the “Peppa effect,” a purported trend causing American preschoolers who watched the show to speak in British accents. The claims were virtually guaranteed to achieve viral tract
Truth or Fiction?→ Was the Original ‘Lone Ranger’ a Black Man?
In January 2019, a meme that appeared to be a screenshot of an older post asserting that the real Lone Ranger was a black man named Bass Reeves spread on social media: Above what appeared to be an archival photograph of a black man and the television