An October 11 2021 Facebook screenshot from a photographer named Tony Bendele — purportedly showing an email from a disgruntled bride and groom — spread virally when it was shared a day later to r/insanepeoplefacebook: Photograph
Publication: viral content
Truth or Fiction?→ New Astrological Dates 2021 (and Ophiuchus)
A September 30 2021 image (“New Astrological Dates”) and accompanying rumor of a thirteenth zodiac sign — Ophiuchus — began its most recent voyage around social media with the following commentary: Your thoughts america. I̵
Truth or Fiction?→ Stand Up for What You Believe In, Even If Facebook Marks it ‘Sensitive Content’
On October 6 2021, the Facebook page “Blessed Little Homestead” shared a circulating meme which read, “stand up for what you believe in, even if you stand alone”; Facebook appeared to be automatically marking that specific image
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Swedish TV Accidentally Puts Subtitles from a Kids’ Show over a Political Debate’
An October 2 2021 Facebook post (screengrab included) contained a claim that a Swedish TV station accidentally put subtitles from children’s’ programming over a political debate: Beneath an apparent username from an unspecified platform
Truth or Fiction?→ Charlie Kirk ‘Cure’ Tweet
On October 3 2021, a tweet attributed to Charlie Kirk appeared on the subreddit r/HermanCainAward — purportedly proposing an alternative cure for COVID-19: Charlie Kirk discovers a cure for Covid that the mainstream medical establishme
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Humans Have Stripes’
On September 28 2021, the following post made a series of claims about humans having “stripes” that are visible but aren’t actually stripes, and that they also have stripes that do exist but which are not visible. The post’s c
Truth or Fiction?→ Carl Sagan: ‘Once You Give a Charlatan Power Over You, You Almost Never Get It Back’
On October 1 2021, an Imgur account shared a quote about bamboozlers and charlatans attributed to astrophyicist and science advocate Carl Sagan: At the bottom an “Occupy Democrats” watermark appeared; the page shared the meme on Facebook
Truth or Fiction?→ Ireland vs. Alabama COVID-19 Stats
A September 28 2021 Imgur post (below) purportedly contrasted the state of Alabama with the Republic of Ireland in “Covid stats”; it appeared to be a screenshot of a post to r/Ireland from the same day: Ireland Covid stats versus
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Dozens of Massachusetts State Police Resign over Vaccine Mandate?
A September 27 2021 claim that “dozens” of members of Massachusetts law enforcement resigned over a vaccine mandate was reported broadly across networks, with articles by The Hill and Breitbart registering as virally popular on Trendolizer.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Covid Killed 47 Out Of Every 100,000 People’ in ‘Counties Where Trump Got over 70 Percent of the Vote’
As COVID-19 continued to rage through the United States in late September 2021, a tweet (later shared to Imgur) claimed that the virus killed 47 out of 100,000 people in counties where former U.S. President Donald Trump received 70 percent or more of
Truth or Fiction?→ Most Hospitals ‘Legally Have to Forgive Your Medical Bills’ if You Make Under 300 Percent of the Federal Poverty Line
On September 23 2021, an Imgur user shared a TikTok video in which a user claims that most hospitals have to “legally forgive your medical bills” if you earn less than 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines”: Reposting for the
Truth or Fiction?→ Facebook Data Mining Posts
On September 22 2021, actor Wil Wheaton shared a warning about data mining on Facebook (one of many circulating at the time), advising followers to educate themselves about data mining. Facebook Warnings About Data Mining in September 2021 Wheaton̵
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Don’t Get Vaccinated’ Funeral Home Truck
On September 19 2021, images of a truck appeared on social media, appearing to show a purported funeral home’s box truck advertisement reading, “don’t get vaccinated”: @RexChapman @davenewworld_2 This truck is making laps a
Truth or Fiction?→ Eric Cantona ‘Kicking a Nazi’ Facebook Post
On September 17 2021, the Facebook page “These memes kill fascists” shared a post about Manchester United striker Eric Cantona kicking a Nazi: Kicking a Nazi cost Manchester United striker Eric Cantona a 9 month penalty, an €18000 fine, a
Truth or Fiction?→ Gabby Petito Lodi Truck Stop Sighting Rumor
Late on September 16 2021, a Facebook user shared a screenshot which referenced missing woman Gabby Petito at a truck stop in Lodi, California: As of midday on September 17 2021, the post was rapidly spreading and circulating on Facebook. It appeared
Truth or Fiction?→ Stillbirths in Mississippi Doubled During Pandemic
On September 16 2021, an Imgur user shared the following screenshot, showing a headline’s claim that stillbirths had doubled in Mississippi since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic: A source for the headline was not visible in the screenshot, wh
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘George Washington Mandated Inoculation’
On September 13 2021, a Facebook account shared a screenshot of the following tweet, which claimed that George Washington mandated inoculation: George Washington mandated inoculation against small pox. The Supreme Court has ruled state vaccine manda
Truth or Fiction?→ Norm Macdonald ‘When I Hear a Guy Lost a Battle to Cancer’ Quote
On September 14 2021, the death of comedian Norm Macdonald was widely reported; soon after the news broke, a purported quote of Macdonald’s about “cancer” and “battles” began circulating on Imgur: Across news outlets, Mac
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘I Know More Than the Scietists’ Protester
On September 13 2021, a photograph of a man with a poorly spelled sign (“I know more than the scietists”) went viral on Twitter: this is where we’re at and it hurts. pic.twitter.com/GwM28DIBG2 — Andrew Baback Boozary MD (@drandrew
Truth or Fiction?→ Was George Orwell’s ‘1984’ Banned in the United States and the USSR for Conflicting Reasons?
On September 2 2021, a Facebook post featured an image suggesting that George Orwell’s 1984 was banned in the United States for pro-communist sentiments, but that it was also banned in the USSR for anti-communist sentiments. A screenshot from Tu
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘More People Have Died of COVID in Florida in the Past Two Weeks Than U.S. Military Deaths in Afghanistan in 20 Years’
As COVID-19 continued its grim progress in the second half of 2021, a September 1 2021 Imgur text post simply titled “Perspective” claimed that more people died in Florida “in the past two weeks” than in the totality of the war
Truth or Fiction?→ Phoenix Koi Chinese Restaurant Vaccine Discount Sign
On September 2 2021, an Imgur account shared an image that was purportedly of a sign from Phoenix Koi Chinese Restaurant, offering a “95% discount” for vaccine card holders, and some additional commentary, too: Featured in the image was a
Truth or Fiction?→ McDonald’s and the Roman Road
In late August 2021, the following post about a McDonald’s restaurant incorporating an archaeological discovery into its floor appeared on the Reddit sub r/interestingasfuck and r/damnthatsinteresting: A Roman Road was discovered while
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘8 Googling Tips’ Twitter Thread
An August 28 2021 Twitter thread by Chris Hladczuk (@chrishlad) described “8 Googling tips you probably didn’t know” — and in addition to the thread’s popularity in tweet form, it also was virally popular on Facebook and i
Truth or Fiction?→ Sea Urchins Wearing Hats
An August 25 2021 Facebook post about sea urchins wearing hats (shared to the group “Heck this is super wholesome”) featured a screenshot of a November 22 2020 tweet by @valfrogkamen: sea urchins protect themselves by putting rocks and sh
Truth or Fiction?→ Is Independence From Britain Celebrated Somewhere Every Seven Days on Average?
On March 4 2019, the Twitter account @qikipedia tweeted: Independence from Britain is celebrated somewhere in the world, on average, one in every seven days. No citation was included alongside the tweet, which was also shared to Facebook and RedditR
Truth or Fiction?→ 9/11 Stair Climb Treadmill Post
In late August 2021, a September 2018 Facebook post recirculated — purportedly a candid image captured at a gym, depicting a firefighter “on the stair climber in full equipment” ascending 110 floors in memory of the firefighters kille
Truth or Fiction?→ Leviticus 13:45-46
On August 21 2021, a Facebook account shared a Twitter screenshot which purportedly quoted Leviticus 13:45-46 in reference to ongoing debates regarding masks and social distancing: The Bible doesn't mention anything about masks, so quit referenc
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘States With a Population Less Than DFW’
In August 2021, a May 2020 map purportedly depicting “states with a population less than DFW” (Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas) continued circulating on Facebook: In an appended post, the sharer wrote: “Wow this just blew my mind ”. H
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Eating One Hot Dog Takes 35 Minutes Off Your Life’
On August 23 2021, the New York Post tweeted that eating one hot dog “takes 35 minutes off your life,” citing a “new study”: Eating 1 hot dog takes 35 minutes off life, study suggests https://t.co/9a9kHICofd pic.twitter.com/AX
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Thatcher Effect’
In August 2021, an October 2018 post about the “Thatcher effect” and “thatcherized images” spread on Facebook, from a post originally shared by a New Hampshire-based optometrist’s office. It read: The Thatcher Effect. T
Truth or Fiction?→ Uncensored Library in Minecraft
On August 23 2021, an Imgur user shared the following meme, which describes a “censored library” that exists within the game Minecraft and explaining its purpose within the popular video game: Text at the bottom of the meme read: There i
Truth or Fiction?→ Why is OnlyFans Banning Content?
On August 20 2021, an Imgur user shared screenshots of a Twitter thread about the news that OnlyFans was banning sexually explicit content: A lot of people are getting the OnlyFans story wrong, and the reality of it is a lot more damaging and concer
Truth or Fiction?→ NBC LA ‘Shot On-Site’ Tweet
On August 19 2021, the following screenshot circulated, featuring a tweet from @NBCLA: It was not immediately clear if the tweets from NBC Los Angeles/@NBCLA were real, or if they were intended as humorous fakes. They read: [1] “Come With Vax Pr
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘Polio and Smallpox Never Reached Herd Immunity; They Were Eradicated by Vaccines’
On July 20 2021, a Facebook account shared the following image text, which contained the claim that polio and smallpox “never reached herd immunity”: Text across a nature-like background read: I don’t know who needs to hear this but
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘King George VI Having Fun’
On August 15 2021, the Facebook page “Classical Art Memes” shared an image titled “King George VI Having Fun”: Although the image was popular and generated engagement, no additional information was included alongside it. A rev
Truth or Fiction?→ Flight Out of Afghanistan
Just before 5PM on August 16 2021, high-profile Facebook accounts shared an image labeled as a “flight out of Afghanistan”; the same image had been shared to Reddit’s r/pics two hours prior: One of the flights out of Kabul.
Truth or Fiction?→ The Wismer House $10 ‘Fine’ for Overnight Parking
On August 15 2021, an Imgur account shared what looked like a parking ticket from “The Wismer House,” in a post titled “$10 gift certificate for parking over night instead of drinking and driving”: Although the yellow citatio
Truth or Fiction?→ Goatse Ring
In late July and early August 2021, screenshots of the following tweet circulated with a blast from the past — they appeared to depict a “Goatse ring” purportedly available for retail purchase: When you're a jewelry artist who m
Truth or Fiction?→ Robin Williams ‘Penpal’ Story
On August 9 2021, a Facebook account shared a screenshot of a comment by a person claiming to have been a penpal to Robin Williams, with a story that included a chance meeting at Disney World (or Disneyland): The text on the screenshot read: As a kid